Through the mages tower

1489

Year of the Warrior Princess

Marpenoth 30

Our group wounded and weary finally find the long abandoned mage's keep they were told to head for to meet up with the Justicar, Diovanni, and Brother Krux. They managed to maneuver past most of the odd and sometimes deadly ancient magic; sometimes having to navigate though living magic! They ran into an old animal pen filled with exotic creatures the mage must have experimented on in the past. At the far end of the pen was an undead Beholder! After moving past this encounter they head through a lab, Jax brave enough to loot unknown powders and magical dusts along the way. One final encounter has them fighting living flames and spheres of darkness! Hannibal seems to be on death's door. Is it his new armor driving him to rash actions or his he always been like this? They escaped the tower and found a secure cave where they take a long rest!

Exp - 2060

Hannibal's Journal - Marpenoth 28

Never has there been a fouler sub-race than the Drow. Their cowardly treachery, vile cruelty, and utter lack of honor would make Tiamat blush....

On the eve of the culmination of our work in Skullport, the city was besieged by the dark elves. Using treachery and vile magic (for the Drow would never fight an honorable battle), the city and our group were taken completely by surprise. After an explosion rocked our barracks, Brother Krux, Riddick and I were separated from the rest of our group and in desperate hand to hand combat with hordes of Drow "warriors". Despite our best efforts, we were overcome by their craven poisonous bolts.

The following days were a blur (was it only nine days?). We were force marched to be sacrificed to their demon-bitch Lolth. They took particular delight in torture, causing excruciating pain, but asking no questions. Krux bore the brunt of their cruelty; either they had never encountered a Githzerai before or they wanted to test the limits of his monastic training. Eventually the Drow grew bored and the torture subsided.

Several days into our journey, our Drow captors were themselves attacked and slaughtered by another group of Drow. These new dark elves were even crueler than our original captors and they seemed to have exceptional hatred for Riddick. These Drow employed demon-spawned magic in their torture; the worst among them being described later by Jax as "Demonologists".

I swore then that when I escaped, I would whet my blade with the dark blood of as many Demonologists as I could find.

Bahamut’s Grace shined upon us days later when the rest of our group caught up with our new captors and freed us. They are amazingly more resourceful than I gave them credit for. With the help of this mysterious "Justicar" fellow, they tracked us through the Underdark, somehow travelled ahead of our highly trained Drow captors, and set up a very effective ambush. I am both humbled and honored to call them friends. Because of their ability, I am free and the house signet pin of our "Demonologist acquaintance" is in my pouch.

The days following our escape were harrowing. This part of the Underdark is a hornets’ nest of Drow. We've been harried and ambushed constantly, but we've finally gained refuge in an ancient Dwarven temple after vanquishing its unnatural undead dragon guardian.

When times seem darkest, Lendys (dragon god of balance and justice) will sometimes tip the scales to your favor. In the guardian's horde, we found an item of renown that will help us in our struggle against the Drow. My friends honored me by allowing me to wear this item:

The Invulnerable Coat of Arnd.

I felt the honor and valor of famous warriors of history ignite in me when I donned the armor: The stand of thirty at the gates of Myth Drannor, the charge of Warlord Kieth that broke the Granitefang orcs in the Battle of Brokenfang, the breaking of the Drow siege of Mithril Hall…

Yes, I am eager to take the fight back to the Drow.

Run Hannibal run!

1489
Year of the Warrior Princess
Marpenoth 28 - 30

The group moves forward and finds itself in an immense treasure room! Unfortunately the creature guarding the treasure is stirs... It is a large undead dragon, awaken to protect its master's trove! The group spreads out to attack, out of concern for his friend, Leif tackles brother Krux to keep him out of the fight. After the battle, a well deserved rest happens, along with picking through the coins and items. They also use this time to crack the cypher found amongst the Drow bodies that were mysteriously killed. After several hours Riddick, Leif and Jax manage to make out a note from a very high level Drow leader called Emerate Qushae. It details plans to find the few remaining survivors of a fallen house called Faen Tlabbar to power some type of Epic artifact for revenge against an Elf named Elladon. Piecing together local knowledge, history, and Riddick's own back story along with the cypher, you come up with the following:

Some time ago before the Spellscar plague, an adventurer named Elladon along with his friends sacked a Drow temple deep in the underdark to recover an Elven artifact called the 'Blade of Rulers'. The artifact along with further work from that group (this group spawned no other than the god to be Singe, and the classical musical legend Zecks among several other legends) to reclaim the lost Myth Drannor from the Drow and their demon allies. The house that failed to protect the temple is named Faen Tlabar. Loth came down mightily hard on them and their descendants. They were shunned and ritually sacrificed. Several of the house managed to escape in the early years to parts across the multiverse. A large group found solice working for Graz'zt, the Ebon Lord of the Abat-Dolor, a race of demons who all look more or less like him. His realm is in the Abyss, far from the Underdark, but not far enough, even this place was attacked by the dark elves, and all members of that house taken back to be killed for nefarious purposes. The Drow now desperate for the blood of House Faen Tlabbar to power some type of unholy relic, is seeking all surviving members. The final notes from the cypher indicate they have almost completed rebuilding the relic and need just a small amount of blood, say one or two more individuals should suffice. Named in the cypher are Riddick and his father Malaggar are the next targets. The Emerate has certain rituals that tell him where members of this house are. The last know location for Riddick is said to be Skullport; his father, Neverwinter.

Still sinking in this information, the group is roused by the Justicar. It is time to move on once more! The old Dwarven ruins that have been their home for two days is now no longer safe.

On the morning of the 30th, he and Brother Krux left to lay false trails and lead the Drow away from the group's true path. The hither and dithering your paths have taken lead to virtually no where but up, misdirecting the Drow on your final destination. This may make travel safer, but it also certainly makes it longer as well.

Several Drow patrols are met and dispatched over the next few days, no major combat thankfully. The 30th however the groups luck runs low. Given directions by the Justicar they enter a strange area of the Underdark, the Justicar says this was once the lands of an insane wizard long dead, but his creations can still be found down here. Over the course of many years, most everything has been cleared out by Drow, or the odd adventuring company looking for lost treasure. Just before lunch they come across a room with floating islands as what appears the be the safest way to the other side. A fierce battle ensues with long forgotten undead, but the group manages to cross to the other side. As a footnote, Brolgar discovers a very old Dwarven corpse decked out in holy armor of the church of Moradin. He plans on studying it on the return trip out of the Underdark.

Exp - 1475

A bloody reunion

1489

Year of the Warrior Princess

Marpenoth 26 - 27

The sundered party is made whole at last, thanks to the Justicar. Finally tracked to a Drow camp the free members of the group: Diovanni, Leif, Jax and Brolgar assault the dark elves after the Justicar draws off most of them in a fake ambush. The fight the remainder of the guards, and then quickly leave. Most odd is that these Drow are not the elves that first captured Riddick, Hannibal, and Brother Krux. Those elves are dead by these same Drow that were holding the group captive. The party found a strange cypher, taken from the first set of Drow that might hold some answers, but there is no time now to try and crack it.

The three members that were captured find themselves cramped, starved, and fairly well beaten after 9 days in a slave pen, it looks like the toll of that experience has affected all of them, with Brother Krux being the worse off. After freeing themselves, the group is on the run for a few hours before they rendezvous with the Justicar. He gives them directions to an old ruined Dwarven holy city, over run by the Drow many centuries ago. They are to make for that while he throws off the pursuit. According to him there are hundreds if not thousands of Drow after them, but why?

After getting caught in an ambush, which almost cost the lives of Jax and Krux, they party finally finds the entrance to the holy area, in looking around they spot a false wall that has been revealed by a recent earthquake, one that has not been accessed for many, many years. Upon by passing the wall and dropping down to a smaller room, they are amazed by mounds of treasure! Before they can take it all in a large monster stirs at the far wall and approaches: An undead dragon guardian!

EXP - 1250

Attack of the Drow! (Cont.)

1489
Year of the Warrior Princess
Marpenoth 19 - 21

PART 2: 'Alone in the Dark'

Our party makes it back to Skullport only to see the Drow invasion forces slowly clearing the city building by building. After the second night of uneasy sleep they find an inn that the Drow have left alone for now called 'The Blind Fool'. They know this place from their time here and actually meet a contact of theirs named Seamus Rockfur; being a Drow himself Seamus has a bit more freedom to travel about town. They ask him for a favor, to scout the area for their missing friends and to let them know of safe routes out of the city. The next day Seamus returns and brings bad news: "Your friends were on the first of the slave trains out of Skullport, apparently they gave the Drow such a battle that they are to be rushed into a very important sacrifice to Loth herself! The slave train left two suns ago, heading further into the Underdark. I spoke to a young woman from House Kingstinn, she knows your friends on site. On the plus side, the increased security due to that mysterious group of do-gooders heighten security and the Drow took many more losses than they planned on. Also more people were able to make it out alive when the attacks started." What foul news! Our adventurers speak together on what options they have. It comes down to three:

1, Chase after them, heading into parts unknown in the
Underdark.

2, Return to Waterdeep and seek help there.

3, Head to Solace a fortified way town, where you are known to
seek aid there from a tracker.

No one can track, scratch #1. If they head for help in Waterdeep, it will take
close to a week to get there without help from a guide such as Etchzeeth, so by the time
they get there and get help close to 10 days will have passed, this is deemed
too long to wait.

The choice is easy, but the path will not be, strike out and make towards Solace, evading Drow patrols too find help in the Underdark. Now, the hard part is getting out of Skullport. The Dark Elves have instituted a no light policy, anyone wielding a light of any kind will be attacked on site. Jax has hold of a ritual that will shed a "dark light" only the group will see, but its range is about 30 feet, so certainly the Drow will see the party far before the party can see the Drow. A debate between Jax and Leif center on taking a lesser known road vs. going completely back-roads. The back-roads will take longer but are safer it is thought so off they go. Along the way the group gets lost and stumbles into a Giant Spider egg cave. With a lot of skill and some luck they use their training to navigate out of it and back onto the road. An encounter some wights and a shadow beast is all that they run into before Solace is finally reached.

They are let into the way camp after they prove they are not Drow, and seek out aid from a tracker. In a dark corner they meet a very tall, cut-out-of-stone Human ranger self-named Justicar. Justicar has agreed to guide a merchant patrol back to the surface and away from the Drow when approached by Leif and Brolgar. Along with Jax and Diovanni, a game of diplomacy, insight and religion is played trying to woo the Justicar to their side. After a while it works. The Justicar deems many more beings can be brought to justice helping you than the merchant. One odd thing about the Justicar is his Hell Hound cloak. The eyes sometimes light up and the tail wags for no apparent reason, but that is a tale for later. Upon agreeing to your quest he jumps up and heads out the tavern door. "Let's go, not a moment to lose" he shouts and heads for the gates of the camp.

EXP - 1750

Attack of the Drow!

1489

Year of the Warrior Princess

Marpenoth 17

PART 1: 'The Drow attack'

The last 3 months or so since you have returned from the Lonely Tower has been very fruitful. Given more and more freedom from House Kingstinn, your clandestine missions in and around Skullport have really started hurting the slave traders and their related businesses. From burning narcotic mushroom fields to ambushing slave caravans headed out to Waterdeep and beyond. You have also completed over a half dozen hit and run attacks against other houses sometimes with the planning and blessing of House Kingstinn. As a direct result of your successes, local law enforcement and private security paid for by the major houses has been stepped up, costing the slave lords a good deal of gold. This in turn was starting to hurt the economy all together.
You are to meet with Etchzeeth in less than a 10 day for your last, and greatest hit before your orders from the Lords of Waterdeep call you back to home. Sleeping in the barracks house which your group calls home after moving up in the ranks, you are awakened by large explosions and horrific screams! DROW ATTACK! The common yard of House Kingstinn is being overrun by what seems to be an army of dark elves, several hundred at least. The explosion has caused a rift that runs through your bunker, several mercenaries are ripped in two, you are lucky enough to survive the magical energies but the building is not. The back side of the structure shears off and drops down a newly created ravine almost 60 feet deep! Shaking off sleep, and with ears ringing, Jax, Leif, Diovanni and Brolgar shrug off some damage and realize they are the only ones to survive the drop. Along with them come several drow! After a tough fight (especially not having any strikers), the group realizes the only way to make it back up is to go though the newly found caverns and try to come up around the back end of the compound. There is hope: Heard during the fight was Hannibal's methodical strategic orders, as well as several whaa's and whumps that accompany Brother Krux's feet and hands as he metes out damage.
After after several hours the group arrives at a little used cave exit and sneaks back through the compound. Bodies lie everywhere. The Drow left no one behind that could be useful, even the dead that were skilled in life were taken; most likely the cost to raise them would be a small investment to what their value as a slave would be. As they crossed the field of death getting closer to what was left of their barracks, they pass a pile of booty taken from the fallen. They don't recognize anything of their friend's, so they each grab a random item as they pass by the pile. At this point the Drow have all but left, surely they are moving on to other places of resistance. Looking around there is no sign of Riddick or any other comrade. The group decides to sneak back to town and try and make some contacts with people they know to gain some information.

Hannibal's Journal - Marpenoth 16

Our contact Etchzeeth has delivered wonderful news. We are to strike a major blow against the Skullport slavers tomorrow and then return to Waterdeep! Gods, I cannot wait to feel the sun shining on my scales again. The pervasive dark of this place has taken its toll on everyone; Brother Krux is meditating more than usual; Jax, Diovanni, and Leif have been getting into petty, stupid arguments; even Riddick seems more sullen than normal. The one bright note is that the group has now rounded into an effective fighting unit. As much as I hate to admit it, I've also learned much about insurgency tactics. It's useful knowledge that would have been frowned upon at the Academy.

Despite the melancholy brought on by this interminable darkness, our efforts these last three months have borne fruit. Our House Kingstinn sanctioned raids, along with our more clandestine efforts have disrupted the slavers' supply lines and sources of income. Paranoia amongst the slaving houses is at a dangerous level and all houses are spending valuable resources arming themselves for open warfare. Skullport is like a nervous red dragon right now and all someone has to do is go for the horde and the city will erupt in flames. We plan to do just that tomorrow...