Battles: In the Cave, at AberBluff, and On the Node

October 07, 2008

Still in the cave, Cabal scans through the book of diseases and contagions that was recovered from the Priestess. He doesn’t see a scroll and the rituals were still in the book indicating another caster must be nearby. Sereck convinces Kernosh that if the Tiefling got away and the ritual was arcane that he would report back and it could be done again. The group agrees and they follow the path farther into the caves instead of leaving.

Catching up to the Tiefling, he is seen at the entrance to a room talking with two duergar. Duncan and Orrin try to sneak up but fail, and the enemies attack. It was a poor decision on their part as four of them are killed before the suspected caster puts a wall of stone up blocking entrance to the room.

After the spell ends, the party enters the room to find the occupants left with haste. Searching turns up a hidden room with three magical items in it, but no gold.

Sereck  +3 Brutal 3 Adamantine Great Axe

Kernosh +3 Brutal 2 Adamantine Long-sword

Kernosh Healing +2 broach (+2 to fort/reflex/will & +2 to any healing done)

Deciding the party cannot follow any longer, they depart the cave. At the temple, the purging ritual is performed by Sereck, who somehow manages to succeed and dispel the disease spell as a ring of light emanating from the temple expands outward cleansing all in its path.

Catching up to the soldiers they had left behind, they are all healing nicely. An argument erupts between Cabal and Kernosh when Cabal wants to sit in the wagon instead of riding his horse. The stubborn mage walks back rather than ride his horse trying to make a point until camp is set up. Sereck goes to Cabals tent to have him move the frost magic from his old axe to his new one, and while there peruses the priestess’s book, and finds mention of a cloak that allows someone to spread disease or plagues just by touching it. The notes indicate the cloak is somewhere in the area/peninsula of Vellan.

The next morning the party continues to Aberbluff. As they get close, they recognize the all to familiar smell of a burning village, and hastily rush the last distance. It’s a full fledged attack by goblins lead by an Oni (Ogre Mage) attacking the town. The party rallies and attacks back, destroying the goblins line and gets very close to the Oni mage. He teleports away at this point, and the local militia destroys the remaining goblins.

Kernosh meets with the leader of the keep, hands over the soldiers that were brought to bolster the towns defenses, and gives a situation update on the lands and area of the new realms.

The party spends a few days helping out around the town using their skills to improve defenses and lay traps and snares around the village and keep.

XP: 160 for Duergar Battle in the Caves

XP: 250 for finishing Disease Quest

Then on the third morning at Aberbluff, an object is seen floating off in the distance to the North East. It is identified as the forest node. Kernosh, trying to make out details of the thing, can suddenly sense power from the node, and begins to glow in purple flame. The node answers back in purple flame of it’s own, and it’s progress towards the keep increases visibly. While Cabal and Kernosh argue about what just happened, the entire party is teleported onto the node.

Standing before them are four giant figures standing in a ring of stones, obviously a ritual area of some kind. The Ogres don’t hesitate and attack, while the Oni in the center of the stones keeps concentrating.

One of the Ogres drops quickly by Duncan and Orrin’s hand, while the second is taken out by Sereck. Cabal goes after the Oni and is knocked unconscious. Duncan rushes over and kills the Oni, his axes suddenly covered in purple flame. Ironically, he suddenly finds himself trying to control the maelstrom of energy that is the node. Cabal wakes and rescues Duncan, allowing him to go assist Kernosh and Orrin as they manage to kill the last Ogre.

As Cabal gets a full grip on the node, he decides the purple energy is divine in nature, but still unknown and much too dangerous for the dragonborn and dwarf to be messing with. So, without a thought, he pulls the power out of the two and makes it sink into the ground.

Unknown to the rest of the party, he then pulls the purple energy into himself!

XP: 520 for defeating Oni and Ogres on the Node and taking control of the Node

DM quote of the night: “Sorry, I was just DMing, I wasn’t paying attention”

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