Who let the dogs out?

Abadius 26, 4712

Over the last four days, Darelle, Daryle and Gerald rested and re-equipped. They bought healing potions and Darelle invested into another invisibility potion. Daryle, meanwhile went hunting and captured 48 crowns' worth of pelts and goblin ears. She meets with Karlyle the butcher, who mentions that most of the goblin ears that have been turned in are those of juveniles.

Darelle spends some time with Dr. Mordel, who reports that there is a flu epidemic in the town. About one in five people seem to be affected. They are stricken and bed-ridden, but after three or four days they are able to return to their regular activities. The population outside the walls seems not to be as affected.

Gerald continues his research into the magical bow he wishes to build, and he begins to seek out components to build his copper coin change mail. He thinks that Roscoe will be rather impressed with this new invention.

In the late afternoon, Cassandra knocks on Gerald's door. After a sharp exchange that included a discussion about not telling her that he was back in time, Gerald reveals that he was badly injured. Cassandra forces her way inside, and she cooks him a nice meal. Over dinner she mentions that she is doing research in ice magic. Gerald mentions the idea of a unified theory of elemental magic where the elements could be stronger when combined properly than the sum of their parts. For example, earth to mud. She teaches Gerald the orison spell of ice over, which allows him to freeze roughly a cup of a normal liquid. Used on a water elemental, this will cause 1d4 points of damage. She departs late in the evening, after sharing a passionate kiss with him.


Calistril 24, 4712

Following the sisters' return from Xer and their quest for information on the Shadowborn family, the Coopers meet in the morning for breakfast at the Juliver Arms. Daryle tells her siblings about the goblins and what Karlyle told her. She speculates that it could either be a new tribe moving into the area, or the older goblins might have all been slain and are replaced with younger and more inexperienced troops. The breakfast is delicious, fried potatoes, pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs. Suddenly, they hear a scream. Through the window, they see two people running away. Both of them are elderly townfolks. 

They hear a scream, then see two people running away, while Hellknights run in the opposite direction. Darelle is the first one out. She sees two automated hounds two street corners away, bent over two unlucky victims. The Hellknights have formed a defensive perimeter and are fighting them. Darelle sprints down the street and takes one of the corners next to the soldiers. One of the dogs lunges and bites down on a soldier's arm, chopping the arm right off. Darelle strikes at it, followed by Daryle firing arrows, while Gerald expands several magic missiles. It's enough damage to destroy the dog, who explodes. Darelle peels pieces of shrapnel from her face, but one of the Hellknights perishes. The combat continues for a few more moments, but the other dog is swiftly dispatched. Both dogs are constructs. Darelle attempts to heal the heavily injured soldier, but instead severely cuts his carotid artery. She is forced to use a few healing spells to restore him back to health.

Daryle examines the civilian bodies. Both victims were female and had black hair. One of the girls appears to be about 17, while they know the other is known to be a mother of three children who's about 37 years old. Daryle loots the bodies and picks up 17 copper coins and a small silver pendant while pretending to check for their injuries. The Hellknights roll their eyes and are aghast at this behavior. As more Hellknights arrive, Gerald orders six of them to bring the bodies to the Temple of the Golden Key to see if they can be revived. High Mother Sarise Dremagne tells him that the Hellknight can be brought The cost is too prohibitive. Gerald speculates that their black hair made them targets. Gerald makes all necessary arrangements to notify next of kin for all three victims, then leaves the paperwork on Roscoe's desk.

While examining the destroyed parts, Daryle finds a specific mark on both dogs. She has seen similar elements on some of the constructs in the Spire. Maralictor Wirt arrives on the scene to take command. In their discussion, Daryle mentions that she has seen similar constructs on Klarkosh's level in the Spire. She surmises the constructs could probably not escape by themselves. The symbol on the dogs is unique and though it vaguely reminds her of something she's seen before, she can't put her finger on what that was.

The house itself belongs to Geoffrey Kirker, according to Wirt, but, according to a neighbor, he and his family usually reside in Daggermark during the winter months. The house is searched, and no bodies or constructs are discovered inside. Daryle also explores the house to see how the dogs got in. She comes to three possible conclusions. The dogs could have been deposited by a green storm, summoned, or placed in here a while ago then activated today.

Meanwhile, Darelle tells Gerald to go ask Cassandra if Nissa has been summoning creatures. Gerald heads over there and carefully weaves the dogs into his discussion with the two of them. Nissa is very interested in the dogs, and Gerald quickly discerns that the child is not responsible for their presence. Returning to the scene of the attack, Gerald mentions to Maralictor Wirt his interest in training Nissa, the budding sorcerer. Wirt carelessly waves him away to do what he thinks is best, before tasking Gerald with investigating dimension doors and ways to prevent them. It would be unfortunate if enemies were able to introduce themselves in Fort Inevitable this way.

Wrapping up the investigations, a carpenter rebuilds a door to replace the destroyed door on the Kirker residence, and the Hellknights leave the scene. The Coopers continue their investigation for a while, but discover nothing. Gerald detects faint hints of magic in the air, but any of the three scenarios mentioned by Daryle could have been the cause.

As they head to Darelle's house, the Coopers encounter Cassandra again. She's wearing a cloak and carrying a strange package wrapped in leather. Gerald exchanges pleasantries with her, then offers to walk her home. At first Cassandra is very reticent, but then agrees. They all continue their walk down the street.

Three houses away from Dr. Mordel's house, the Coopers see a woman being thrown out of a second floor window. She smashes to the ground and dies instantly. They take a quick look at her. In her mid forties, she too has black hair. Daryle heads to the North Gate which is manned by a platoon of Hellknights led by the inept half orc Bolgur. She tells him what has happened, and connects this incident to the two deaths that happened earlier. Bolgur dispatches three Hellknights to investigate the matter. The officer in charge is surprised that Signifier Gerald did not invest the house to attempt to catch whomever threw the woman out the window. Gerald replies that he had to secure the scene first. The soldiers exchange glances. They break down the door and search through the house, finding nothing. Daryle receives permission from Gerald to enter the premises, but does not find dog tracks inside the residence. There are no other people present in the house.

Darelle documents the names of the three victims, and plans to investigate if there are any links between them aside from their black hair and their gender. With such a trying day, Darelle and Daryle return to Darelle's house, while Gerald heads back to his house. In the process, everyone forgot about Cassandra ...

Magma dragons, they're so cute! Wait, that really hurts!

Abadius 21, 4712, part 3

Having discovered the body of the Hellknight commander, the Coopers stand around and discuss what to do about Chaid DiViri. Roscoe took the armor and now proudly wears it, but Aoz indicates that the body should be brought back to Fort Inevitable.

Daryle states that their options are rather limited. They can either go back up one level to the Lady of Thorns' domain, or they can continue to scout and find the Spire on this level. With access to the Spire, they could use one of the Spire token to bypass the Mistress and her minions.

Roscoe, Daryle and Thorne cross the bridge once at a time, while Darelle and Gerald, accompanied by their two Hellknight soldiers, remain behind. Thorne notices that there are three strange unnatural smoke floating near the cavern's ceiling. He tells his siblings to backtrack, and they carefully walk across the bridge.

After some observations, the Coopers notice that the creatures remain in their area. Gerald converses with Aoz, and they determine that the entities flying seem to be protecting something. A Hellknight is sent to the stairs, and he is not attacked. He returns, and he still is not attacked. The Coopers decide to explore and not walk back under the creatures.

Thorne walks ahead of Daryle and squeezes through a tunnel. The fumes are thick here and he almost chokes on them. Coming out of the small tunnel, he stumbles upon a pile of metallic slag. He fires an arrow at it, and when it moves towards him he moves back through the tunnel and reports. Roscoe listens to the description, then tells the rest of the party that it's probably some sort of metallic ooze.

Roscoe removes the armor, and squeezes through the tunnel, emerging on the other side. He also has difficulty breathing, and he tells the others. Daryle places a wet cloth on her mouth, and walks through the tunnel, followed in a similar fashion by Darelle and Gerald. Thorne remains behind with the Hellknight soldiers. The Coopers attack the ooze, which burrows into the ground and emerges between the Coopers, thus providing three different angles of attack. The fight is intense, and as they are hit they find themselves covered by metallic slag which immediately cauterizes the wound but causes burn damage.

Thorne, meanwhile, hears the sounds of battle. Suddenly a large creature bursts through the wall and attack. Tall and heavy, this monster charges the first Hellknight and bites his head off. Thorne runs away back towards the bridge. He knows he can't fight it off, but maybe he can trick it. The second Hellknight puts a valiant fight, but he is also overcome by the monster. He taunts it, then runs across the bridge. The monster leaps to the other side, but Thorne dives under it and emerges back on the bridge. As the monster turns around, it is attacked by the caustic stalkers. The combat is swift, and the grey render dies a horrible death. They do not cross the magma river, however. Thorne heads back to the tunnel.

Roscoe lands several impressive blows, while Daryle and Darelle attack them from their side. Gerald casts several rays of frost, which severely injure the ooze. Darelle manages the killing blow, and the metallic slag slowly begins to drain back into the magma. Within the remains of the ooze Thorne discovers a mighty bow, as well as a strange rune in the floor in the shape of a T, along with an arrow pointed to the southern ledge.

The party continues and enters a larger cavern. A large pool of lava is smoldering fifty feet below the floor of the cave, and a cliff leads down to the lava. Across the pool is a small island where the Spire is located, glowing eerily green in the reddish light of the cave. Gerald bends down and examines the cliff' surface. He finds that it would be sheer madness to attempt to climb down. Through much effort and many attempts, Thorne and Roscoe manage to secure a rope to the Spire so they can crawl across. and leave this level. Gerald, however, has other ideas. The sorcerer uses dimension door and takes Darelle and Roscoe with him to the stone platform by the Spire. Roscoe immediately senses that something is wrong. Suddenly two young magma dragons emerge from the magma and attack the Hellknight. Gerald returns to the cliff side and manages to bring Thorne and Roscoe with him, while the sisters fire arrows at the dragons.

Roscoe and Darelle use a spire token and they are the first ones back to the Splinterdeen level. The dragons continue attack Thorne and Daryle, while Gerald delays and launches another magic missile. Daryle falls prey to the female dragon and suffers a grievous wound but still manages to transport out with Thorne. Gerald grabs Aoz but cuts himself, falling unconscious. In the process, though he touches with his own spire transport the Spire and managed to arrive back on the 3rd level.

Abadius 22, 4712

Bloodied and bruised, the Coopers emerge early in the morning and begin the trek back to Fort Inevitable to heal and recuperate. 

So that's what happened to the last Hellknight expedition

Abadius 21, 4712, part 2

As the Coopers proceed in the small hallway, the floor collapses. Daryle jumps out of the way, but the remaining Coopers and their two Hellknight soldiers fall in the pit along with the floor rubble. Most of them are lightly injured by the fall and by the spikes at the bottom of the pit, but Gerald's fall lands him straight on four spikes, skewering him. They find themselves ten feet below the floor.

With Daryle on one side of the room and the remaining members of the party in the pit, the Mistress of Thorns teleports in a flash of purple lightning. Finding them in quite a predicament, she cackles and launches two attacks on the Coopers. Thorne is the first one to regain his wits, and he begins to negotiate a solution with the devil. She really wants the spire tokens, but the Coopers will not exchange them. After much discussion, the Mistress agrees to arm the Coopers, and provide them with valuable information on the level below in exchange for Roscoe's soul as well as the right to come to Fort Inevitable and provide advisory services to the Hellknight Commander and his Council. She provides the Coopers with rings of protection against heat, as well as weapons. She informs them that the level below is called the Magma Vault and is ruled by two dragons with very hostile intentions.

The Coopers thus continue down to the Magma Vault. Reaching the floor, they discover that this is a very active volcanic environment. There are marks of recent lava flows. Walking through the first room, they discover a scene of ancient carnage. Heavily armored bodies lie about the room, pierced by thousands of crystal shards. More than three dozen Hellknights perished here some time ago. The Coopers carefully search the bodies, and discover that the crystals are in fact crystaline creatures from the outer planes. Their equipment is rendered and useless. Roscoe analyzes the situation and determines that the Hellknights were ambushed and perished here.

The Coopers are suddenly startled when one of these crystaline creatures floats in the room, chased by a strange floating ball of flesh sporting one eye and several blades sticking out in all directions. Gerald recognizes the creature as being an augur kyton. The augur kyton attacks the crystaline creature and kills it before the Coopers react. Roscoe recognizes the armor worn by the augur kyton as being Hellknight in origin and he even spots the insigna of the Order of the Pike. Wearily, both parties manage to establish a level of trust as it becomes clear that Aoz, the augur kyton, was part of the Hellknight expedition. Unable to speak, Aoz nevertheless manages to communicate that he wants the Coopers to follow him.

As Aoz floats ahead, Roscoe and the rest of the party follow. They arrive in a room cut in half by a lava flow. A small earthen bridge joins the two sides of the room. Aoz floats easily across, but Roscoe is weary of the quality of the bridge. The Coopers examine it and guess that it probably will support the weight of one person at a time, but since none of them are experts they are wont to take the chance.

Gerald eventually decides to mend the bridge. At least, this will provide a modicum of strength to the structure. Carefully, the Coopers cross one at a time along with the remaining Hellknight soldiers, and despite a few scares they all manage to safely cross the obstacle. Aoz floats down a corridor, and leads the group straight to a dead end. There, they find the body of three more Hellknights as well as that of Chaid DiViri, who has been missing. She appears to have been partially fused to the edge of the wall. Darelle and Daryle work together to pry her off the wall, and eventually they manage to take her out of her armor. She has partially burned in it, but somehow her body has not deteriorated any further. Aoz appears upset, and through much effort he manages to communicate to Gerald that he wishes that her body be taken back to Fort Inevitable. In her gear Roscoe discovers her journal, in which she relates her intent to continue exploring this level of the Emerald Spire and continue downward.

Gerald carefully wraps the body and the Coopers are now faced with a decision. They can head back to Fort Inevitable by climbing back one level, but that puts them back in the clutches of the Mistress of Thorns. Or they can forge ahead and hope to locate the Spire on this level. Aoz indicates that dangers lay in the direction of the Spire, but he can take them close. However, he does not wish to do so. What will the Coopers do?

Meeting the Mistress of Thorns

Abadius 20, 4712, part 3

Tired and bloodied from their battle against the raging morlock, the Coopers withdraw back to the room where they left Gerald, Thorne and the two remaining Hellknight soldiers. After bandaging their wounds, they decide to rest and heal.


Abadius 21, 4712, part 1

After an uneventful night, the Coopers and their guards continue to explore this level of the Emerald Spire. Returning to the scene of last night's battle, they begin clearing some of the debris piled around the room. One of the Hellknights discover a door buried in the rubble. Since it is locked, Thorne attempts to disable the lock, but fails miserably. Gerald uses knock and the door opens. Behind it is a hallway stretching north and south. A quick peek reveals another door in the north wall around a bend. The Coopers decide to check it out.

Of course that door is also locked, but this time Thorne's skills open it. The Coopers enter a virtual chamber of horrors. There are cages hung from the ceiling, and a large table in the back corner is covered with entrails and torture implements. Only one of the five cages is currently occupied by a barely alive male nephilim. Darelle heals him and eventually discovers that his name is Jherao. Both Thorne and Darelle attempt to pick the lock, but they fail. Jherao reveals that the Mistress of Thorns, who rules this level, captures creatures and executes them in strange and cruel rituals. The Coopers decide they will remain here and they will ambush the Mistress of Thorns when she comes in to claim Jherao. Roscoe hides behind the door, while Daryle, Darelle and the Hellknights stand in the next room with their bows drawn. Gerald hides under the torture table, and Thorne stand behind the cage.

They wait, and wait, and wait some more. Getting restless, the Coopers wonder how long they will have to stand here. Jherao tells them that the Mistress doesn't come in regularly. Suddenly they hear noises in the hallway outside. Three morlocks dressed in disgusting priestly garbs enter the room and head toward Jherao's cage. The Coopers jump into action and the priests are swiftly dispatched.

Gerald clads himself in the nasty garments of the priest. He plans on surprising the Mistress when she comes to investigates what happened to her priests. The rest of the group returns to their positions and the waiting begins again.

A few hours slowly pass. No noise can be heard in the hallway outside the door. Suddenly, a shimmering purple globe appears nears Jherao's cage and out steps a large devil, about seven and a half feet tall and over three hundred pounds with barbs protuding from her shoulders and back. With a wicked smile, the Mistress of Thorns steps forward and looks at the captive.

The Coopers spring into action, and the battle begins. They are able to score a few hits, but the Mistress' violent attack forces Roscoe back. Then something stops her counter attack. She seems pleasantly surprised to see a Hellknight in her abode. With everyone holding their attack, she tells Roscoe that it's a pleasure to once again have a Hellknight visit her. It turns out that she has encountered Hellknights before, and has the utmost respect for the work they do. She tells them she's researching how to retrieve the morlock chief who has been imprisoned in the Emerald Spire, and she seeks more tokens. Darelle reveals that they have one in their possession, but they are not willing to give it to her at this point. The Mistress replies she understands, and she hopes that when they are done exploring they'll reconsider. She suddenly opens the cage, grabs Jherao, and disappears in a purple shimmering.

Surprised at this turn of events, the Coopers decide to continue their exploration but will stir clear of the Mistress. Gerald removes his stinky garb, and the party proceeds down the hall. They come upon a large room featuring the green glow of the Spire. There, the Mistress appears to be conducting some sort of ritual with Jherao's dead body, surrounded with dozens of morlocks. The Coopers wisely decide to avoid this room.

They eventually discover a short hallway that leads to the staircase heading down. This hallway looks and feels similar to several others they encountered on this level, with large debris piles lined on either side. Gerald casts flaming sphere and clears the hallway. If there was a trap, the morlocks are now dead. The Coopers enter the hallway and head for the staircase ...

Love is in the air

Calistril 1, 4712

It's a beautiful winter day in Fort Inevitable. Snow fell last night, and the entire town is covered by about six inches. Children are outside playing, and Hellknights patrol the streets with a smile on their faces.

For the last few days, Gerald has been feeling sick. He finally decides to talk to Doctor Mordel about the scar on the chest. Mordel examines him and advises him that whomever did this to him was very skilled, and either took something out of him or put something in. Unfortunately, the good doctor has no way of telling which of the two happened. Gerald asks him if using a gem of true seeing would reveal what had happened to him. Mordel looks pleased at the idea. He tells Gerald that this is brilliant and may lead to a novel way of treating patients. The doctor does not have such a gem on hand. Mordel tells Gerald that if he brings in this gem, he will gladly examine the sorcerer, and he will then write a paper about it for the Daggermark's Medical Treatises.

Gerald thinks that the Hellknights may have such a gem, so he heads to the citadel to talk with Léonche de Moustiers, Chamberlain of the Citadel. de Moustiers informs Gerald that the Hellknights have such a gem, but Gerald would need to leave behind enough valuable collateral. The sorcerer tells him that he has such an item, and he presents one of the funeral masks he discovered on the 7th level of the Emerald Spire. de Moustiers appraises the mask, and tells Gerald that it would be more than adequate. However, he flips through a large ledger book and advises Gerald that this item had not been declared at the last tax payment. Gerald is thus assessed 130 crowns for the underpayment of taxes, as well as 140 crowns more in penalties for non-payment of taxes. Furthermore, he says, this is a first offense and thus he is being fined. On a second offense, the penalties will be doubled, and on a third offense the penalty is death. Gerald states that if he finds the masks he will surrender them to the Hellknights in case they are dangerous. de Moustiers thanks Gerald and will take him up on that offer. Gerald makes an appointment to get the gem on Calistril 9.

Meanwhile, Darelle decides she will investigate the vial of dark blue crystal powder she collected on the 7th level of the Emerald Spire. She asks Mordel if he knows what it is, and he replies that he doesn't, but that there are a few people in town who might: Abernard Royst, and Falandra Nolm, Gerald's employer. Darelle knows that Abernard is out of town, so she decides to talk to Falandra Nolm. Falandra agrees to look at the material, but her fee is a quarter of the item, in kind preferably, but she will take the value in gold if she must. Darelle agrees, and she takes out the vial. Falandra is stumped, but after some research she discovers a tome with information on this type of powder. She tells Darelle that when mixed with horse manure, it will create a small ball. When the ball is flattened and then thrown on the ground, it will transform into a crystal pegasus in various shades of blue. Darelle has enough to make six pegasus.

At the same time, Daryle drops off some of her skins to Karlyle the Butcher, then walks in the Juliver Arms to get the scuttlebutt on the Millers family. Word on the street is that they are preparing to head out to the Emerald Spire. Unlike the Coopers, they claim they should be able to clear the tower in no time.

Finally, in the late afternoon, the three siblings meet again in the street on their way to Darelle's house for dinner. Suddenly Gerald gets hit in the head by a large snowball, and he falls face first in the snow covering the ground. Laughter can be heard from behind the Coopers. Daryle turns around quickly, and sees a bunch of kids a few houses back. One the children moves forward and taunts Gerald. The Coopers recognize Nissa, Abernard's niece, whom they encountered a few months ago. When Gerald refuses to get up, she casts a spell and a giant snowbank falls on him, burying him under a gigantic pile of snow. The children laugh louder. Gerald grumbles from his snow pile that he is a Hellknight officer and he could arrest Nissa for violating the anti-spellcasting provisions, but Nissa only throws another snow ball at the pile of snow. When Daryle and Darelle begin to chase them, they all scatter, and Nissa runs to her uncle's house and closes the door.

The sisters wait for Gerald to pull himself out of the snow pile, and when he catches up with them Daryle knocks on the door to Abernard's residence. After a few seconds the door opens and a tall and beautiful woman appears. Daryle explains why they are here, and the woman invites them inside. She tells them her name is Cassandra, and she is Nissa's mother and Abernard's niece. She calls Nissa down to apologize to Gerald, but the child instead taunts him again before running upstairs. Cassandra tells them that Nissa's innate magical abilities have been hard to control, and that she's getting herself in quite a bit of trouble.

As they discuss the situation in town and recent events, it becomes clear to Daryle and Darelle that Cassandra has more than a passing interest in Gerald. The house has resumed its actual proportions, and a loud crash can be heard from upstairs. Daryle decides to investigates, and she ascends to the third floor, where she finds the door to the library closed. Nissa is on the other side and she seems to be searching something. The child has wizard locked the doors and Daryle can't get in. She runs downstairs and tells Cassandra. She runs up the stairs and returns with a chastised Nissa, who does give Gerald a heartfelt apology before going to her room.

Gerald then tells Cassandra that he is feeling sick. Cassandra examines his scar and tells him that she concurs with Dr. Mordel's opinion. She herself dabbles in healing and has some experience in the matter. Gerald invites her to participate in Dr. Mordel's examination on the 9th. She agrees.

After a few more moments, the Coopers leave Abernard's house and return to Darelle's house. Cassandra invites Gerald over any time. The sorcerer politely declines. The Coopers have dinner, then they retire by the fireplace and spend the evening in quiet contemplation.

A few hours after midnight, they are awakened by the sound of wolf howls in the distance. There are no wolves in the area, having been hunted down decades ago. As the rangers listen, they can hear at leas three wolves, maybe four. Daryle wonders if it is due to a green storm. They dress quickly, then head out of Darelle's house and to the wall. Daryle tells the others she suspects that the wolves may be none other than the Millers, which would explain a few things.

The Coopers find Walter and Rainulf on guard duty on that particular section of the wall.They report that they haven't seen the wolves, but they definitely heard them in the northeast fields. That's in the direction of the Emerald Spire. The Coopers resolve to go hunting the next day.


Calistril 2, 4712

As soon as the gates open the Coopers race out of Fort Inevitable and head towards the Emerald Spire. Darelle is worried about her dry blue crystals, while Daryle and Gerald are eager to catch up to the wolves. They quickly locate tracks, which indicate that there are three wolves. But the tracks are huge, half as big as the biggest wolves. Darelle spots some loose fur, so Daryle collects a few samples to bring back to Dr. Mordel.


Eventually the tracks indicate that the wolves took off very quickly. The Coopers pick up the pace, and come upon a bloody scene. The wolf tracks merge with the tracks of a human, and a bloody scene shows that human came to a brutal end. Gerald examines the boot tracks and discovers that they are Hellknight booths. The body seems to have been pulled away by the wolves.

A few clearings away, they discover a badly chewed up body, with the head missing. The body is still garbed in a Hellknight uniform. Daryle collects personnel effects from the pockets, and they bury the body under a cairn.

Following the wolf tracks, they then discover that the wolves themselves fell into a goblin trap. Two were captured in nets, while one fought but was eventually subdued. All three wolves were dragged back to the Emerald Spire.

The Coopers enter the Emerald Spire through the secret tunnel and then descend to the 7th level, where they collect the barrel of dark blue crystal. They then head home again. Returning to Fort Inevitable, Daryle hands the pouch back to Maralictor Wirt. She tells them that these effects belonged to Armand, a Hellknight who was posted in Dimsdale. The closest farm was that of the Redwoods. What was Armand doing out there?

As they head home, the Coopers come upon a commotion outside of the Juliver Arms. The crowd is cheering loudly. Taking a closer look, they see that the Millers are showing off their sled and their equipment, claiming that they will storm the Spire tomorrow and will do a better job than the Coopers. If the Millers are here, who are the wolves?

Hunting Morlocks

Abadius 19, 4712, part 2

Following the morlock assault, the Coopers take a short breather. Thorne announces he will take care of the unconscious Gerald while the rest of them continue on their trek. Roscoe orders the Hellknights to stay behind as well. He then decides to head first in the tunnel. He crawls a short distance, and reaches a dead end. Looking around, he discovers a trap door above him. He pushes the trap door, and notices that it is very heavy. He heaves again, and this time the trap door opens. On top were the bodies of two now dead morlocks. They show evidence of having suffered a fire attack.

Roscoe crawls out of the hole, and helps his sisters out. They trudge down the hall, but as soon as Roscoe takes a step around the corner, he triggers a trap. A large blade comes rushing out of the wall at a horizontal angle, nearly slicing his head off. Unlike the paladin, the sisters successfully dodge this attack. Having been almost decapitated, Roscoe requires healing. Darelle provides him with a few scrolls and uses her gem of healing as well. Roscoe feels better, if not completely healed.

The Coopers find two doors on the right side of a short corridor. Daryle takes a peek through the door, and sees six adult morlocks and four children in what appears to be a common room. A large number of mangy pelts are laid about, and four large rats are slowly roasting over open flames. Taking position by both doors, Daryle and Darelle fire their bows, while Roscoe charges the room. The combat is quickly over. With the children still screaming and throwing feces, Daryle slaughters them all to put them out of their misery.

They search the room. Darelle discovers a human skull with an aquamarine fake eye worth about 500 crowns half buried under hot coals. After disposing of the bodies, the Coopers go through the doors across the common room and find themselves standing in a small alcove. A large statue of a bird-headed humanoid with snakes for legs stands in the corner, with large tubes lining the wall behind it. The statue has been heavily vandalized, and any riches it may have held have long since disappeared. Upon closer inspection, Daryle recognizes the statue as being that of Abraxas, a demon lord from the Abyss. Roscoe casts detect evil on it, but finds nothing. It is only a statue.

Continuing their exploration, Roscoe discovers another secret tunnel that connects two rooms. In the second room he finds a sleeping morlock that should have been standing guard instead, and he kills it. This room is a complete mess, with smashed furniture and tiles, which have been piled against a wall. Intrigued, Roscoe looks at the pile, and discover yet another secret tunnel. He returns to get his sisters, and together they proceed down this longer tunnel.  

Roscoe opens up the hatch at the end of the tunnel, but despite his best efforts it makes enough noise to warn the occupants. Three morlocks have hidden behind a pile of rubble. Roscoe climbs out of the tunnel, and walks towards the morlocks. However, one of them is very much taller and bigger than the others, and wields a great club. He leaps down from the rubble pile and charges the paladin. Together they become entangled in a fight to the death. They exchange mighty blows, but the morlock begins to gain the upper hand on Roscoe. His sisters climb out of the hole, and also focus their attacks on this raging morlock. Though the monster successfully disables Roscoe, Darelle and Daryle are able to land enough blows to kill him. Soon, the other morlocks are dispatched as well. Now the party is thoroughly bloodied and bruised, and running low on healing spells. What other horrible surprises does the 9th level of the Emerald Spire have in store for them?

Morlock Muck

Abadius 14, 4712

Gerald presents himself to Roscoe and requests a uniform. Roscoe inquires as to why his brother would like a Hellknight uniform. Gerald presents his commission, and Roscoe can only shake his head. After some back and forth, he agrees to provide Gerald with a Signifier uniform. The sorceror looks fabulous wearing the Hellknight colors.


Abadius 17, 4712

Captain Rémi arrives in town and meets the Coopers to collect their 50 crowns per person for their safe passage a year ago. He introduces the Millers, a new family coming from Razmiran that has just arrived on his ship. First there is Rexhall, about 25 years old and rippling with muscles. Second is Card, about 19, a spellcaster of some kind. Then there are the female twins, Ace and Spades, both fighter types. Finally, the youngest member of the Miller family is Rose, a girl quick on her feet. The Coopers have an uneasy feeling at the arrival of these strange Millers.


Abadius 18, 4712

Now that matters are back in order, the Coopers are edging to a fight and are ready to head back to the Emerald Spire. As commander, Roscoe leaves Maralictor Wirt in charge of Fort Inevitable, and he and the four siblings, along with five Hellknight soldiers, depart the town in the Spire's direction. The trek takes most of the morning and enter the underground through the third level tunnel. Nothing much has changed since the last time the Coopers were here.

Using a spire transport, they move from the third to the 7th level, then descend the stairs to the 8th level where Darelle acquires the runes that will allow them to directly transport to this level. They then descend the stairs for about 250 feet before reaching the landing for the 9th level. It is pitch black, so the Coopers light up torches and lanterns.

In the first room, they encounter collapsed walls. One direction looks like it has been there for a long time. The second, however, looks like it was recently built. A small hole in the rubble provides access to the room beyond. Thorne throws a torch in the small hole, sees nothing but another set of decayed walls.

Roscoe examines both walls, and makes a decision. The Hellknight soldiers will dig the western tunnel. The soldiers obey immediately. Gerald, meanwhile, begins digging the southern wall. During the digging, Thorne removes the lock from the door to the 8th level and studies it to figure out how he failed. The sisters just stand around, telling each other stories and exchanging beauty tips. After five hours the soldiers manage to make a hole big enough to crawl through the three and a half feet of dirt and loose stones to the continuing hallway behind, while Gerald has successfully move seven stones and has progressed a hand's width.

Thorne crawls through the tunnel, and throws another torch beyond the rubble. Taking a quick peek, he notices four morlocks clinging to the wall, ready to pounce on the first person through the tunnel. Deciding that the situation would be too difficult to fight in, he returns and discusses the dilemma with the rest of the group. It is quickly agreed that Gerald should deal with this situation. The sorcerer  kneels by the tunnel's entrance, and casts a fireball, killing the morlocks but collapsing the tunnel. The Coopers won't be heading that way.

The soldiers begin digging again, this time in the southern wall. After two hours they are through. Thorne steps through, but sees nothing. Darelle steps into the room, then turns a corner. She is attacked by four morlocks, but Roscoe manages to kill them off. Unfortunately, one of them has escaped, no doubt to warn the others.

Thorne sets up a trip wire in the hallway leading south and rejoins the group. After a short discussion the party begins moving south. Thorne remains behind and convinces a soldier to push Gerald in the tripwire. Meanwhile, he will search this room and see if there are any secret passages or doors.

The hallway in which the Coopers find themselves has several branches, and stinks to high heaven. Clearly, they have stumbled into the morlocks' latrine. Roscoe is in the lead, and he triggers a trap that inflicts significant damage on the party. Three soldiers die. There is no time to mourn them, however, as Gerald steps near the tripwire, and is immediately pushed by one of the soldiers. He falls face first into the four inch muck.

Thorne discovers a secret door. He opens it, and finds a room that, unlike the rest of the dungeon so far, shows no sign of having been looted or defaced. The walls still feature ancient Azlan pictures. And in the middle of the room is a pile of treasure, including coins, gems, and items. Thorne greedily walks towards the treasure, but falls in a pit trap along with the treasure, hurting himself. He takes some of the jewelry and the sword. He attempts to climb the ten feet distance back tot he floor, but is unable to do so. He yells for help, and the only person who hears him is Gerald. Reluctantly, the sorcerer backtracks and helps Thorne climb out of the pit.


Abadius 19, 4712

Proceeding down the tunnel, the Coopers and their two remaining soldiers enter another room. A large berm of rubble separates the room into two different parts, and a wooden door is set against the south wall. Roscoe cautiously steps over the berm, then heads for the door. Several pieces of wood wedge the door from this side. Roscoe removes the wedges and steps through the door into the passageway beyond. Everyone else follows. The passageway twists and turns but terminates in a dead end. Roscoe and the rest of the party search for secret doors, but find none.

Gerald, being the last one in, notices that the door closed behind them. He opens it and steps back into the room, only to be attacked by more morlocks armed with repeating crossbows. Gerald is cribbed with bolts. He steps back in the passageway, then emerges again to unleash a fireball, killing all of them. Unfortunately, three of them were hiding in the rubble and escape the terrible fate suffered by the others, and they step out once the fire dies down. Gerald is surprised and finds himself clubbed. Hearing the sounds of battle, Daryle tells the soldier in front of her to open the door. He does so, and she readies an arrow. However, she can't tell which of the four darkened figures is Gerald, so she yells at him. Gerald responds, but gets attacked again, and he is once again wounded, this time falling unconscious.

Daryle lets an arrow fly, and one of the three morlocks dies. A second one jumps back into the rubble and escapes, while the third strikes Gerald again. He is brought down by Daryle, but not before the sorcerer is brought to the very edge of death. With a wounded party and three soldiers dead, what will the Coopers do? The story continues in Hunting Morlocks.