The tree-ant, the assassin, & the Aliens, oh my!

The group makes their way back to Hilltown. They enjoy some time overseeing the construction of the new Wyrmwood tavern. Gertrude surprises Vornyn with a gift. She has purchased and installed brewery equipment in the basement. The group decides to try Vornyn's new brew which contains the teleporting powder they have gathered through the last adventure. After drinking the sweet beer, they are teleported to a strange far off cornfield. They know that they are far from home as the star constellations are all different and there are two suns that rise in the sky in the morning. After some calculations and interpretations, they unlock the secret of what the symbols in the dust are and can now use the powder efficiently for traveling. Once they solved the symbols, they quickly create the proper arrangement and are teleported back to the Wyrmwood inn. 

Gertrude asks the group if they can use their fancy new fortified cart to head to the city to pick up more supplies for the almost finished inn and tavern. They agree and head north east towards the city. On the way, they encounter a knight of Surnoth. Just by chance, he turns out to be Gertrude'ss brother. They have an awkward conversation, but make friends none the less. They then encounter a tree-ant who is guarding an ancient tomb. After some exploration, they notice it looks to be of the same design as the one that blew the top of the mountain off. Instead of opening it they use the powder to send this sarcophagi directly into space, far away from their planet. The Tree-ant now having his mission of guarding the tomb completed decides to join the group and travel with them east. His name is Weatherlund.

The group gets their supplies in order in the city and have the day to explore the site while everything gets loaded. An assassin nearly kills Gary and the group heads out back towards Hilltown. 

On the way, they encounter a strange light show that turns out to be a craft of some sort with three large "beings from another world".... They can't seem to communicate with them though. Panarus figures out that by playing certain sounds and music he can gather what they are trying to tell them. He determines that the planet is about to destroyed unless they can return and restore the 3 missing stones that didn't make their way into the coffin that blew the mountain apart. The group remembers that those stones had embedded themselves into wild life way back when they first discovered their origin. They decide to use their rings to go back in time to retrieve the gems as they enter into the woodland creatures. This proves to work perfectly. The coffin is brought back to the planet where they install the last three gems back into the coffin. They can hear screams from inside the coffin saying "hey guys, It's me Gary, help me out of here" before the coffin launches back into the sky. The "aliens" leave and the group decides to make their way to Diamond city to pay Gary's father a visit....

Drake's burial

When morning comes, the mood could not be more sour as Drake has bled out and is most surely dead. The group searches around and finds some platinum tucked up in his scales as well as a few other select items. They begin to discuss what to do with the body when a band of Ogres arrive. These are the same Ogres that called Drake a friend and help the adventurers try and bury Drake as best they can. The question still remains, what type of dragon Drake was. He never fit into the Black or gold or red or blue category. The mystery dies with him I guess. Another strange encounter occurs withing Wyrmwood forest. They come upon a type of Mud elemental. After supplying him with a ceramic jar, he joins the adventurers as well as  fully buries their friend Drake for them (earth moving type spells). A new Wyrmwood seedling is planted at his grave to mark the location. 

The group uses the sand to teleport back to Surnthania to retrieve their cart and horses and decide to make the trek back home to Hilltown. The jounrney home is uneventful and somber can't describe the mood of the group as they virtually travel back in silence. 

Back in Hilltown the new Inn & Tavern is almost complete. Gary gets a letter from his father in Diamond bed city.  And Delvin heads out for another long ride with his great steed. On the journey, he encounters an almost mythical creature, a large Elk type beast who approaches Delvin non threatening. He then coughs up three inert crystals from the mountains and leaves. 

Back into the mountains

The group has a celebratory meal with the Elven King & Queen of Surnoth. The following morning the High Cleric of Xeroxen teleports them into the mountains. He explains that something is preventing them from being sent directly to the crypt in the mountains. He gets them as close as he can.

The group arrives on the side of the mountain face in the deep cold. Gary suffers again from the cold and needs to be carried for a ways on the back of Panarus. They encounter strange lights ahead. It turns out to be the same floating crystals they encountered when entering the elven forest. Except this time they attack the group with some form of a magic missile. 

They eventually make their way inside the mountain and down into the crypt thousands of feet below the peak. They encounter more of these flying crystals and battle more throughout their journey to the coffin they seek. Eventually they come upon a chamber filled with hundreds of these crystals. Fyorn finally uses the Fireball scroll he has been longing to use. The fire drops the crystals immediately to the ground rendering them "Innate". Gary tells the group that we need to take these crystals with us. After much debate, they agree to take them.

They eventually reach the crypt where they initially released the soul of the creature that has been plaguing Gary. He gets into the coffin and the group realizes that the crystals fit perfectly into small indents all of the coffin. They use all of the crystals they have on the coffin and they come back to life in vibrant colors. The casket starts to float. Gary floats out of the coffin unconscious and the coffin closes and starts floating down the hallway out of the crypt. The place begins to rumble and the group decides to get the hell out of there. They pick up Gary's limp body and make their way out to the surface. Once outside again they encounter their old friend Drake. He quickly whisks them up just as the top of the mountain explodes. Something is wrong with Drake though. He has one of those crystals embedded in his chest. He lands safely within the Wyrmwood forest but falls unconscious. The group watches as what looks like a comet flying out of the mountain heads into the heavens out of sight. When the morning sun rises, the crystal in Drakes chest is gone, but he has a large hole now and is bleeding pretty bad from it. 

-Wetzel: I hope now that this "thing" is out him, maybe he will start to become more of a team player.

The death of three brothers

 The following night, the group storms the tower of the Mapleton brothers. The diversion works as planned. The group teleports directly into the brothers chambers where they are caught completely off guard. The adventurers make quick work of the three brothers and the battle is over in seconds. The rest of the thieves guild members throughout the city realize the defeat and head into the shadows. The adventurers have won. The thieves guild rein over this Elven city has come to an end. 

The King & Queen visit!

Being hidden in a large barn in an eleven city can be quite boring. But before long, the king and queen of Surthania come and pay the group a visit. They are excited to eradicate the thieves guild from their city. They speak with the high cleric of Xeroxen who entrusts onto them a few magical rings of "extreme" teleportation. The king is going to create a diversion where actors will play the role of the group and lure the guild into another assasination attempt. Meanwhile the real adventurers will use the rings and teleport directly to the three brothers (Mapletons) to seek their revenge and resolve this conflict once and for all!

The road to Surthania

 On the road to Surthania they encounter a tinker gnome by the name of Edgar Sprocketfilch. He is quite an interesting fellow. The group asks if he would like to join the group as he would make a fine addition to the party. He agrees to come along, he says to call him "Sprock". 

Delvin speaks with his horse and his horse asks if they could please go on an evening ride in the forest. Before long they are joined along the trail by 3 elven riders. They ride for hours through some of the most interesting trails Delvin has ever seen. By morning he is thouroughly exhausted and eventually meets back with his companions. 

The next strange event they encounter is what appears to be some crystals falling from the sky. When they investigate it appears the crystal embedded itself into a squirrel and other wild life in the area. Somehow this can't be good. They head away from the encounter with more questions then answers. 

The group crosses the river and makes their way towards the elven city of Surthania. Just before arriving, the group encounters the Elven riders that Delvin met the previous evening. They tell them that they will get them into the city safely and unseen so they can continue on their mission to stop the Petchaveck thieves guild and gain the element of surprise. They set the companions up in a large barn and the group rests and prepares for the next assault. 

 

Storming the Tower part II

The group takes out the remaining mercenaries behind the door and quickly search through the remaining floors trying to find Henrick or Hellavar Mapleton. No such luck. They appear to have teleported out again evading the group yet again. More men are thought to be on their way into the tower. The group quickly ransacks the place and takes whatever weapons & equipment they get their hands on and quickly head out of there. They head south toward Surthania.

Storming the Tower

Fyorn tries to send his Pseudo dragon in through a window in the tower for a recon mission. This sets off an alarm spell and puts all of the staff of the tower on alert. He quickly calls back his familiar and the group waits out another night until things settle down. They determine that even the walls have the spell preventing them from scaling it without alarming the residents. Eventually they decide to go into town and purchase an alarm spell so Fyorn can hopefully learn it and be able to dispel the wards on the tower. This does the trick and Fyorn uses a spider climb to get to the top of the tower and sends down a rope for the rest of the group.
Once inside, they encounter many surprised inhabitants and a battle ensues. Eventually one of the wounded blows a whistle alerting more residents to the combat. They kill 10 in total. The lone survivor who drops his weapon and surrenders is beheaded by Vornyn. They know four more men lie behind the next door

Ambush on the road

The group departs Brie and makes their way towards "Old Towne". The group is alerted to an ambush coming and they prepare spells for the fight. When the would be attackers charge the group, Half of them are taken down within 6 seconds (1 combat round). The rest of the group immediately surrenders. They take the rest as prisoners and interrogate. They find out that they work for Hellavar Mapleton (brother of Henriech who escaped in Brie). They learn that he resides in a tower just outside of Old Towne. Delvin sends his blink dog in to quickly spy in the tower. Another burnt salt pentagram is found and there are two men residing on the fifth floor. The group starts to formulate a plan to enter the tower.

Crossbows in the Bell Tower!!

Vornyn heads to the church of Darkenday in Brie and is greeted warmly by all of the congregation. He is given special quarters (good for life) for him and all of the companions. The special quarters contain 14 private small bedrooms which all surround a circular common area with a large table. There is also a private small grove and forest outside.
The high priest is aware of the affliction effecting Garaloph and suggests that he and the fellow priests spend the day with the companions to cast some ritual spells (wards) that will keep their souls free in case of their unfortunate demise. The spell is cast and the group agrees to remove their pinky toe in addition. This will cement their resurrections if anything were to happen to them along their journey. The toes are preserved in a bottle and mounted in a small alcove above each of the companions beds.
The following day their is a massive celebration in Brie for the companions who saved the town from the orcs. Statues of the group are commissioned and the party runs on into the night. At one point Delvin is pushed onto to a stage to dance in front of a roaring crowd. As the performance begins, a crossbow bolt is shot into his neck (just a half inch from his last crossbow scar). He drops to the ground and people scream and begin to run in a panic. The shot came from the top of the Bell Tower at the cathedral of Ion. The group heals Delvin and they all rush to the church.
They find dead Ionic priests all throughout the church. They also come upon a lot of mercenary bodies as well (24 in total). As they head to the back to the where the stairs to the tower would be, they are attacked by three crossbowman. Vornyn casts an entangle spell and the group attacks with ranged weapons until the mercenaries are dead. They save a wounded priest and he accompanies the group up the stairs. Unsure of how to proceed, they stack the dead bodies of the mercenaries in front of the doors to the stair well. The priest with them casts a flesh to stone spell sealing off the doors.
Behind another door, they encounter two more bowman who have overturned beds and bookcases to provide cover. The group summons a giant centipede to attack them from the rear so the group can rush in. They take one alive and break his knees and dislocate all of his fingers until he talked. They find that the their leader Henrich Mapleton is at the top of the tower and he was the one who shot Delvin. They also find out that Henrich's brother (also a thieves guild captain) resides in "Olde Town" to the south. They reach the top of the tower but do not find Henrich. They find a strange pentagram of burnt salt instead. Some type of dark magic at work....
The companions speak to the sheriff and he calls upon his brother who is a skilled magic user to investigate the pentagram. The group prepares to head to Olde Town next as the journey closer towards the mountains to save Garoloph from his affliction.

The trip to Brie

The group finds out that a band of Thieves are on their way to Hilltown. They ambush them (rocks from above) and kill most of them. They find out that they were sent by a captain of The Petchaveck thieves guild named Henrieck Mapleton who resides in a Town Called Brie to south west. They gather up all of their gear to prepare for their long journey back into the mountains. They plan to take a southern route this time so they can stop off at Brie on the way and pay Mr. Mapleton a visit.
After a few uneventful days of travel, they come upon 3 overturned carts with a bunch of dead horses. They find that there are a lot of tracks that lead into the forest and go and investigate. They eventually find about 30 people tied up and band of Human mercenaries guarding them. They wait for the cover of darkness and ambush the group using Entangle spells. After vanquishing these would be slave traders, they release the hostages. One of the captives is just about the largest human they have ever seen (the mountain from Game of Thrones). They instruct the freed hostages to head back to Hilltown where they can be cared for. They make their way to Brie. A celebration is planned for them as the adventurers had saved this town from a army of orcs a year prior.

The Spider in the hole

Delvin, Garoloph, & Panarus hear screams coming from the excavation site of the new tavern. In the bottom of the hole they see Gertrude wounded and being attacked by a giant spider. The three jump into the hole and attack this massive beast. After vanquishing this eight legged arachnoid, they come to find that someone had summoned it here. They investigate further and come to find that a thieves guild is moving into town and trying to sabotage their efforts of building the tavern. They trace the clues and find a few not so nice men on the outskirts of town. The three adventurers stealthily approach these men and make quick work of them. They then head to the church and the grove to speak with the high priest and the grand Druid. They learn more about what is happening to Gary. They must travel back to into the mountains to put the soul they awakened back to rest.

Construction begins for the new Wyrmwood Inn

Two months pass as the group begins to get back to their everyday life. Gertrude is excited to begin construction on her grandmothers life long dream of operating an Inn and Tavern within Hilltown. As construction begins, a worker falls down a strange hole that appears during the foundation work. The adventurers are asked to help investigate and save the worker. The shaft turns out to be a chamber. Fyorn finds a door that glows magical. Gary finds a secret trap door in the floor. They encounter what appears to be a ghost. Something strange happens to Gary...

The group heads to the church of Ion for guidance. The high cleric tells them that they should try to put the creature they awoke in the mountains back to rest. 

Talador is Saved!

The group searches the cavern as Vornyn begins healing Drake. Some secret doors are found and various magical items and scrolls are acquired. Eventually Drake regains consciousness and thanks the group for saving him. Fyorn takes the dragon egg and starts work on his find familiar spell. The egg hatches and a baby Pseudodragon is born. Drake says that he will still need several days of healing before he can fly again. He shows the group a quick way out. He tells them that he has sent a message to his Ogre friends who will meet the group in the forest and assist in felling one of the great trees. The group takes a "goonies slide" down and out of the mountain. They come upon 4 dead ogres who appear to have been killed by Ice orcs. A bad storm starts to roll in and Panarus suffers badly from the cold. They search for shelter and find a chamber in the ground. Eventually they notice some symbols on the floor and find a secret tunnel below. It opens up to a massive chamber filled with unmarked sarcophagi except for one which has a snow flake symbol on it. They rub snow on it and the coffin opens revealing a large white skinned humanoid creature. He sits up and opens it eyes. Gary makes eye contact with it and his eye balls immediately freeze and is blinded. The group scurries out of this chamber risking the bad storm above. Suddenly the symbols in the floor marking the four elements come to life. Earth creates a shelter, fire creates the warmth and water and Air create the perfect shelter to ride out the storm. Once it passes Drake arrives and the group begins the work they set out so long ago to do. They gather the roots, a large piece of wood & Drake fells a large tree. Delvin tames some massive horses (Frost born horses). The group heads back to South City and retrieves their new massive war cart. They ride back to Hillside. They create the salve necessary to save Taladoor and within days he recovers from that strange disease. The group is praised for their good work and all of the friends they have made along the way.

The Ice orcs and the Egg

The group prepares to engage the Ice orcs. Wetzel uses his floating disc while Murphy changes to a bird and Fyorn spider climbs down. On the opposite end, Gary & Delvin sneak up to within close bow range. Panarus and Vornyn hang back to fire from a distance.

The group takes down all but two of the orcs. One of the orcs escapes out of a secret passage and the other is captured. Gary's patience is short and he quickly kills the orc after not getting much information. They free the dragon "Drake" from his bindings and notice that he excretes a large egg the size of thanksgiving turkey! They search the room and gather the valuable orc equipment and begin to use all of their available spells and skills to try and revive Drake.

The dragon in the cave

The group rests and attempts to interrogate the orc they capturered again. The unconscious/ drunk orc they found snoozing underneath the cot finally wakes up. The one they captured chokes out the other orc for sleeping on the job. The group finds out that there is a Lieutenant amongst the remaining orcs that has a magical rod. They eventually let the orc (Edgar) go and tell them that they will meet again someday if he ever makes it out of the mountains and heads to Hilltown. The group heads into the next chamber and attacks the remaining orcs and goblins.

They defeat the orcs and goblins and find a whole bunch of random items. Most of it is too bulky to carry with them so they are forced to leave it. Fyorn gets a hold of the magical Rod of Valamaxian. This Rod grants him the ability to memorize one additional spell per level per day.
Gary finds a secret passage which leads to a viewing balcony high above the floor of a rather large chamber. It is there they see their dragon friend Drake chained and bleeding with Ice orcs torturing him. It is way too high for them to climb down. They check out the other path and Gary sets off several traps attempting to disarm them. "It's all clear" is said many times.....
They find another path that leads down to the cavern floor. The group decides to split up so they can flank the ice orcs. Those with spells or abilities to fly/spider climb will head down from the balcony and the others will head down the longer path. They rest and regain their strength and prepare to fight the orcs and free their friend Drake.

Who uses a Whittling knife to fight orcs?

The orcs and a few goblins come streaming out of both sides of the cavern. An entangle spell by Vornyn saves the day with the larger group all being trapped while the adventurers concentrate their efforts on the other group. Wetzel takes the brunt of the initial damage. Fyorn climbs onto the ceiling with spider climb and attacks from above. Just about the time when the first group has been disposed of, the other orcs finally break free from the entangle spell. Fyorn leaps from the ceiling in an attempt to stab from above with a whittling knife. He makes it to the ground and lands a direct hit, killing the orc instantly. Who does that? Fyorn and only Fyorn would attempt such things...
The group vanquishes all but one orc who eventually lays down his weapons and surrenders. They take the prisoner and attempt to interrogate. They do not find out much information at all. They investigate the one corridor where a majority of the orcs came from and find a makeshift barracks with cots and also encounter an unconscious drunk orc laying in his own vomit beneath a cot. They decide to close off the entrance and camp in the barracks to regain their strength.

What goes up, Must come down

The Adventurers take in the cool air and the gorgeous view riding on the back of their new friend "Drake" the Dragon. They finally come over a high peak and see the famed Wyrmwood forest. Suddenly a large lance is shot from the ground below and pierces Drake in the chest. In his last breath before losing consciousness, he casts a feather fall spell on the companions and their livestock as he plummets to the ground.
Eventually the group finds each other in this vast forest. The Wyrmwood trees are quadruple the size of the largest redwood trees they have ever seen. They soon come upon a large blood spot in the snow and follow the large drag marks. They encounter what can only be described as "Ice orcs". White colored in skin and packing the ability to shoot out what could be described as an "ice knife" type of spell. They make quick work of the orcs and move further into the forest in search of their injured dragon friend Drake.
They come upon a cave opening which has a fire burning at its entrance. They sneak inside. There is a large pile of wood to the right hand side which the group hides behind as Ice orcs and Ice goblins come running out of the two side tunnels. Let the combat begin! ….

The Dragon with the broken wings and the boy who cried "Drake"

Taldoor's dog team seems skittish. Vornyn speaks with animals and finds that the dogs know that Murphy is in trouble and where to find him. They find their friend nearly dead under a pile of  fallen ice. They get him back to camp. Murphy shows them how to make the salve that will cure Fyorn's frost bite. Eventually they head back out onto the trail.

A faint crying is heard up the mountain. A small half orc child is on the cliff weeping and calling out the name "Drake" repeatedly. Voryn speaks with the boy and finds that he and his family live not too far away. He says his friend Drake is missing and needs help finding him. The group eventually decides to move on. They come upon a huge wooden bridge guarded by a large band of Ogres.

The group realizes they are no match for the mighty ogres and hope to seek passage without a fight. They generally seem friendly and determine that they too are friends with this "Drake" creature. They pay the gold piece per person toll and cross the bridge. They find a bunch of blood in the snow and a single large flesh colored scale. Dragon perhaps?.....

The group encounters what at first appears to be some type of ice creature. As quickly as they see it, it disappears back into the side of the mountain. They then encounter 2 goblyns and 2 orcs guarding a cave opening. They attack and enter the cave. Inside they encounter more of these ice creatures. The cave is warm though so they can't be made of ice. Maybe some type of crystal golem? No one is quite sure. They eventually encounter what appears to be some type of dragon (yet to be revealed) badly wounded and chained up. The wings have been shredded and he is dying. Murphy goes back to get the ogres to see if they can help. The rest of the group find these strange holes which Fyorn determines are magic. Upon trying to investigate, they each in turn fall unconscious. They all awake bound in chains in the same cave as the dragon. Murphy eventually returns with the Ogres and they are able to free the dragon and the rest of the companions. Wetzel gives the dragon the scale and upon restoring it is able to heal his shredded wings. The group asks for a ride to the Wyrmwood forest and Drake agrees. The companions mount the dragon and prepare for the ride of their lives.

Murphy's quest

Murphy saw how bad his companions were suffering from the cold and wanted to try and help. He remembered a salve that an elder Druid once told him about that will help the skin with frostbite and also help keep you warm through the night. He decided to take a stroll from camp and see if he could find the herbs & roots needed to make the concoction. He finds a few of the components but realizes that he needs to climb a pretty steep slope to get to the rest. He pulls out his brand new climbing gear and attempts the climb.

After several failed attempts he finally makes his way partially up the mountain. He almost reached the small plateau but slips and falls. Thankfully he secured a piton a few feet down. But the force of the fall slams him into the side of the mountain. He loses consciousness. Murphy doesn't know how long he was dangling there or what actually woke him up, but the icicle of frozen blood from his broken nose tells him he was here for a bit. He knows the cold will surely be his end if he doesn't do something. The weather turns from bad to worse and a blizzard begins. He manages to somehow regain his composure and continue the climb. Thankfully he makes it up the rest of the way this time.

He collects the remaining ingredients he needs but the storm rages on. He finds a small cave to take shelter. He will need to wait for the storm to die down before he can climb down.
Inside the cave he casts a light spell to see if there is anything lurking inside. Towards the rear of the cave he sees a peculiar area blanketed in darkness that his spell will not penetrate. He takes a breath and enters the darkness. He trips on something on the ground and realizes it is an amulet. Back in the light he inspects his discovery. It is shaped like a small wooden wolf. Murphy takes his chances and puts on the amulet. His druid power is increased and he is now able to shape shift!

After the storm  stops, he attempts his decent back down the mountain to the campsite. Before he knows what went wrong, he finds himself falling.

He breaks both of his legs on impact. The snow begins to fall again.

The road to the mountains is paved with bad weather and dry Garlic Knots

The group spends some of the party's money to purchase spider climb for Fyorn. He learns the spell and puts it into his spell book and is also given 2 scrolls of it as well.
They leave the great city and pass over the border into the uncharted lands, leaving behind civilization as they know it. The first 13 days are uneventful through the foot hills. As they approach the base of the mountain their ears already begin to pop. The group moves up further toward the mountain base, it becomes clear that the cart will not go much further. A potential ambush point is discovered, and they pull the cart off to the side to investigate. Vornyn can tell that something big is coming (low rumbling in the earth itself). Out from above them the group sees a stampede of the large snow creatures storming right towards them. (The creatures are called "Tlalusk" as later determined by Panarus).
 
They narrowly escape being trampled, and then all is quiet. They camp (day 36) and hide the cart and pack all of the supplies onto the horses. That night both Wetzel & Garoloph are severely affected by the colder weather and the altitude.  Extra cloaks and blankets are given to them to try and stave off the cold. Panarus is continuously complaining that he can't get a good note out of his instruments and morale is definitively low. By morning one horse has died from the cold and now Fyorn is feeling the cold bite and his lips turn purple. The snow begins to fall as they start the ascent into the Surnoth mountains. A trap is sprung on the path ahead ("All Clear" given by Garoloph). A huge icicle falls from above and instantly kills the front horse (opens up his head like something out of "The Thing"). Vornyn cuts open the horse and places his dying freind inside (Han solo style).
On Day 37, further up the path Vornyn tries to Listen for signs of movement ahead but something strange happens. The howling of the wind against the mountain seems to become deafening so he is forced to put his fingers in his ears. Garoloph tries as well but resists the urge to cover his ears. He was seen writhing in pain on the ground from sonic damage and bleeding ears. Another horse jumps the cliff scared at something or merely committing suicide. Stock of remaining supplies should be checked at out next campsite because we have lost most of what we brought.
on day 39 the group encounters a Tundra frost giant (as evil as they come).

They avoid the encounter and Vornyn gives the remaining three horses a pep talk on how we need each other to survive. Day 40.....

Lizard folk and the Border beyond

As the group makes repairs to the damaged cart, Delvin, Vornyn, & Panarus head out in search of replenishing their food supply. They come across a herd of deer. Vornyn takes a shot and fells one with a single bolt while Delvin only wounds his and needs track it down. As Delvin searches for the deer, he falls into a hole which leads to an underground series of chambers and hallways. They encounter skeletons and a battle erupts in the darkness. They defeat the skeletons and find a long sword buried in the dirt and a mace amongst a series of sarcophagi . When Vornyn picks up the mace, it changes its size (for a gnome) and appears to become wooden. It also spontaneously brands symbols of Darkenday all over it.
When they finally get out of the hole, they are greeted by the return of Taladors dog team. The mission to save the village of Berens was a success!! The group should plan a detour on their return trip to Hilltown and make a stop at Berens.
The group encounters a lizardfolk encampment and they appear to have a bunch of human hostages. They attack and free the farmers. They agree to escort the famrers back to their homes to the south (it is technically on the way). On Day 18 they arrive in the farmland settlement of the hostages. They feast and celebrate their triumphs.
They come upon more wild horses which they tame a replenish the ranks of their horsepower. They continue south when they are almost to the border of Morkon kingdom, they encounter a group of Morkon Knights and their squires. The group is praised for the warning they gave to the village of Berens and are told that there will be a great feast for them when they arrive there. They bid fairwell having shared bread and stories of valor.
The group arrives in South city, which is just inside the Kingdom of Elvendoor over the river from Morkon kingdom. They buy mountain climbing gear, cold weather outfits, and commission a new more industrial/ military grade cart to be built for them to be picked up upon their return from the mountains. Day 22... getting ready for the hike of a lifetime!

The Hillside Inn

The group silently creeps up to the Inn. Vornyn not having the ability to sneak marches toward the front door and is greeted by a strange man with a scarf covering his face. He seems surprised to see someone out here. He tells Vornyn that he can sleep in the barn. The wind blows and Vornyn can see his mouth is not human but some sinister creature with huge sharp teeth (like Barracka from Mortal Kombat). The rest of the group traps him by setting a rope outside the doorway. After the creature is captured, the group finds out that the real owner is away on a hunting expedition and this creature is robbing him blind. They find a set of steps to the basement but when they attempt to go down an Alarm spell is triggered. They know they need to get out of there and decide to take the gold the creature was stealing (and a case of wine) and leave. They witness the Inn keeper returning from the hunting trip (most likely he knows his spell went off). The group escapes the encounter and continues south. They are attacked by a black bear. Vornyn is able to speak with animals and calm the beast and make friends.
The next day Gary spots something odd on top of a hill in the direction they are traveling. They stop the cart fearing an ambush. Gary sees something shiny atop the hill and approaches. As he gets there he realizes it is a human hand sticking out of the ground with a ring on it. Something happens and he looks back at the group under some type of a spell then smiles and stabs himself in the neck with an arrow. Vornyn takes his steed and charges the hill to save his friend. He rescues Gary and tends his wounds only to see that the spell has left his friend unconscious. Something is quite odd about this hill and the horses get spooked and take off, crashing the cart into a gully. Two horses rip away and run off (gone for good). They are able to wrangle the rest of the horses and Panarus the Bard uses a mend spell to fix the wagon. Gary eventually awakens. the wound was cauterized by Vornyn but the scar stays in the shape of Darkenday. The gods at work I guess.. Day 15...

The Dwarf in the tree

The group encounters a dwarf hanging upside down tied by his feet from a lonely tree in the valley of the hills. Vorwyn tries to shoot the rope to set him free but manages to instead hit the dwarf in the leg. This awakens the dark skinned dwarf and he immediately cuts himself down. The Dwarf tells the group his name is Gary and he has no idea where he is or why he is here.

The adventurers believe his story and gladly accept him into the group.

Not too long after it is apparent that the orcs they originally were avoiding are still hot on their trail. They find a small alcove high in the hills to hide from the orcs. The orcs amass to what looks like several hundred. Gary sneaks into the orc encampment and finds that they are planning to raid and pillage a town to the south called “Berens”. Fyorn insists that they should forewarn the town about the upcoming invasion, but knows that they couldn’t make it there in time. He writes a letter and sends Talador's dog team to deliver it. The group moves further South. On day 11 they encounter a lonely inn at the base of the hills. Smoke rises from the chimney but there does not seem to be any activity outside nor any livestock movement at or around the barn. The group cautiously approaches.

Earthquake! and orcs....

The group fights off what seems like an endless wave of Hobgoblin's coming over the hillside. Their numbers are great, but after much struggle the group finishes them all off. They witness the rest of the Hobgoblin army in the distance retreat, leaving their fallen comrades to rot.
The group trudges south. On day 6 of their journey they encounter a strange occurrence..... An Earthquake shatters their path ahead!! One of the horses perishes in the commotion as the ground opens up and Wetzel passes out only to awaken with a new companion (familiar). Some type of "Rock". She names him Rocko.
Vorwyn speaks to the local prairie dogs in the area and finds out that there is a large orc army just south of the group. In order for the cart to get safely around them, Delvin sets a fire off to the west to draw them away so the group can get by. The plan works so well that the companions raid the orcs' campsite and take any available provisions & equipment (and gold!).
After a day of intense riding, the group rests only to be awoken before dawn by the orcs that are now pursuing them (they want their shit back!). Vorwyn casts an entangle spell in the valley preventing the orcs from pursing as the adventurers escape into the sunset.
Day 9....

The Journey Begins

The group witnesses two large gold dragons that were feasting on the bodies on the battlefield. They fly off and the group rummages through the site to salvage any weapons and armor that they can trade/sell. Vorwyn also finds a letter on a dead soldier addressed to a woman by the name of Gertrad. The letter states that he left his life earnings for her with the sheriff. The group heads back to Hilltown.
Vorwyn delivers the letter to Gertrad and helps her retrieve the money left for her. She plans to set up an Inn and tavern and asked Vorwyn if he can bring back a piece of Wyrmwood from the upcoming journey into the mountains. She plans to use it for the bar or fire place mantle of the new building. The group sells the equipment they salvaged and buys the necessary equipment needed for the journey. As they are getting ready to leave, they happen upon a 1/2 elf By the name of Fyorn and a halfling by the name of Wetzel. They quickly make friends and decide to join the group on their adventure into the mountains to retrieve the last ingredients needed to save Taladoor. They also meet an Elven flute maker named Panarus who also decides to join the party.
They start heading South through the hills. It is slow going. They come upon those same gold dragons they witnessed the other day, but this time they are blocking the road. The dragons seem friendly enough and offer to fly the group into the mountains if they let them eat their horses. The group declines and continues south. Delvin scouts ahead and encounters a group of creatures called Grimlocks. They look quite sinister.

They decide to avoid these creatures and are able to get away safely. On the 3rd day of travel Delvin is surprised by a crossbow bolt to the throat. The group knows an ambush is coming. Flaming arrows fly up from the hills beyond and rain down around the group and their cart. Then a band of hob Goblins rush over the hill to attack!

Talador's general store

The companions first meet one another at Talador's general store. They were sitting down to breakfast when Talador comes rushing out of the kitchen with some type of ooze/ slime covering his face and screaming wildly. The group quickly comes to his aid. After they get the thing off of him, Talador is weak and requires bed rest. He asks the group to retrieve several hard to find herbs that he needs so he can make potion to cure his ailment. He lends the group his team of dogs to help them in their quest. They set out in search of the herbs.
First combat = large skeleton
2nd = undead cyclops
3rd = band of kobolds
after the kobold battle they rest. They plan to head back to town after scavenging a battle field for armor and weapons they hope to sell back in Hilltown.

Sal D. = Murphy (human druid)
Charlie = Gunther (human Paladin of Ion)
Paul= Vornyn Tinkerson = (gnome cleric)
Jon = Delvin Hillsborough (human ranger)
NPC = Panarus Ensala (elf Bard)
Austin = Fyorn (1/2 elf Mage)
Tom = Wetzel (Female halfling Sorcerer)
Sal T. = Garoloph Falenschiener "Gary" (Dwarven thief)