The Brain Behind The Army

Making their way up through the mountains towards IceThorn Castle, the group finds themselves eventually standing on the ancient courtyard ruins on the opposite side of the castle. One remaining chain, each of the links weighing several thousand pounds and almost 10 feet thick, is the only bridge to the other side.

As night settles swiftly, the cold mountain air fills with swirling snow so the group decides to make camp on this side of the chasm. Safely away from the troll filled castle on the far side. Rook takes time to cast mirage arcane upon a large swath of land so he can later contort the land as he sees fit. Katya climbs a tree near the end of the bridge and lays on the branch and watches for movement on the bridge or on the far side, though the blowing snow hampers her vision.

A Storm of Snow and Rocks
5,000 XP

When Rook is finished casting the spell he conjures a small shed to shelter him from the weather and steps inside. His peace is quickly broken by the frantic knocking on the door. Smallfang and Hope wish to enter as the freezing winds are quickly increasing outside and his shelter seems to be large enough to hold them as well. He lets them in, but conjures a door beside him, which he opens to the elements, walks out and conjures another shack, small enough for just him. Smallfang quickly closes the door and he, Hope and Rook's raven, Poe, remain inside.

The night begins to pass with only the sounds of howling winds and snow buffeting around them. But it does not last. They are all awakened by the sounds of crashing rock within the courtyard and instantly the shack that Hope and Smallfang are in disintegrates in a shower of splinters as a large boulder comes crashing through. Thankfully they are quick enough to avoid most of the rock.

Laying down across her large tree branch, Katya is knocked off her perch by another rock. She sees it flying out of the blowing snow, from the direction of the far side of the chasm, in time to avoid the worst of the damage.

Rook immediately conjure a forest of trees to provide cover. As the forest grows up around him he grabs onto a tree growing up out of the ground beside him, stepping onto a branch which lifts him high into the night sky, as he blends himself into the trunk. He looks from his vantage point across the chasm but can see nothing but blowing snow. He sends his raven, Poe, up into the night sky and across the chasm to scout for the enemy.

Smallfang runs to the chain bridge and runs across the underside, using his ring of spiderclimbing. He sends his griffon into the air and uses it to scout across the chasm. Katya runs across the bridge in one swift movement, passing Smallfang below her. She arrives at the ruins of the courtyard in front of the IceThorn castle. She can just make out, through the blinding snow, the figures of trolls moving into the castle through the front entrance.

Rook takes the form of an arrokokra and flies across the chasm to the far side.

Hope, alone now on the opposite side of the chasm from the castle decides she better stick with the group and makes her way slowly across the bridge. By the time she gets to the other side the others have lined up along the mountainside beside the entrance way to the castle. A large tunnel has been excavated through the rubble that had previously blocked the entrance.

Coaxing Trolls Out Of Hiding

Catya decides to move stealthily through the tunnel to see what the trolls on the other side are doing. She is able to walk stooped through the tunnel, keeping to the shadows. Near the end of the tunnel she sees 4 trolls each holding a massive boulder and talking about bashing any creatures that come through. Katya quietly retreats back through the tunnel. Haflway back she decides to make the sounds of a cat. Rook outside the tunnel, sees what Katya is doing and decides to produce the illusion of a cat inside the tunnel. Hopefully they can lure the trolls outside where they can be attacked.

Katya sees the large face of a troll peer into the tunnel. Its mouth turns to a mischievous grin. "I hates cats", and he throws the boulder he is holding. It barrels through the tunnel and Katya doesn't have much room to evade but she is able to avoid the worst of it. She decides this is not the right strategy. Katya retreats out of the tunnel.

Meanwhile the others begin to explore the not-so-secret entrance on the far side of the courtyard. Lirath, a late show to the expedition, turns into ethereal form and moves through the castle. He spots several trolls in various rooms and hallways. He comes back to report to the others.

Hope, deciding she can try and persuade the trolls to come out from the protection of the castle. She walks through the tunnel until she can see the trolls. She gestures repeatedly at the trolls finally getting their attention when she mimics the gesture of eating. Rook produces an image of a leg of meat in Hopes hands. As she gestures the trolls begin to crawl through the tunnel while Hope retreats always keeping some distance between her and the trolls. As she begins to step out of the tunnel the others turn their attention to Hope's attempt at drawing out the trolls.

They dont think this is a good idea.

The Return Of The Gazers
400 XP

Katya runs, blindingly fast, and rushes towards Hope. Just as the trolls hand shoots out to grab at Hope, Katya grabs her by Hope's cloak and pulls her to safety. Right behind Katya is Smallfang who lops off the arm of the troll. There is a bellow of pain and anger.

Soon the spheroid shapes that had harassed the group upon the last time they were here begin to descend down out of the blowing snow. They shoot beams of magic at the group. One of the beams hits Hope and it instills a fear so dread that she begins to run. She runs towards the secret entrance and continues to run.

While they deal with these odd creatures, Rook racks his memory for information on these odd creatures. If his memory is correct, Rook believes these are creatures born of a beholder. Born may not be the correct word. He tells the others that these creatures are brought into existence when a beholder dreams. Sometimes these dreams warp reality until the beholder's dreams of himself are made real, creating tiny versions of himself.

This means there is a beholder behind all of this.

Some of these creatures, sensing they are being overpowered, retreat back into the sky. Smallfang mounts his griffon in an attempt to give chase but the blowing snow makes it difficult. He eventually comes across several holes dug into the sides of the mountain. Very spherical holes about the shape of the creatures that were attacking them. He peers down one of the tubes but after a number of feet it turns sharply and he cannot see further in.

He returns to the ground to tell the others.

Lirath, meanwhile, has gone to see if he can help Hope who has fled into the castle. He turns into ethereal form and moves through the secret entrance.

Finding Two Prisoners
2,000 XP

Hope running through the secret entrance and eventually finds herself in a long hallway. She moves down until she approaches a door, her fear slowly dissipating. She opens the door and finds Tithe, the kidnapped cleric. As Hope approaches Tithe, she notices a deformed creature laying in a cot on the other side of the room. Hope prepares to attack but Tithe stops her. This is Jabir and he is the reason she is still alive. He has been keeping her safe. He refuses to aid Thech unless Tithe is unharmed. It would seem Jabir still holds on to the dream that he too can someday become a hero.

Hope uses that and tries to convince Jabir that she can help him. She can get him inducted into the Order Of The Obsidian Dagger. He need only to prove himself by helping them get out of the castle with Tithe. Jabir seems conflicted.

It would seem that Lirath, unseen to the group, is messing with Jabir's mind and trying to convince him of just the opposite.

Hope's charming ability eventually wins out. Jabir agrees to help them all escape. Jabir, using his numerous vines that are growing out of his body to grab on to walls and ceiling to pull himself along, with more than a little difficulty, towards the door. He opens the door and stands in the hallway.

Voices of other trolls are raised in surprise and they see Jabir, who obviously does not come out of his room very often. They question Jabir with a mixture of concern, reverence and shock. Jabir talks to them while gesturing to Hope and Tithe that they should use his body as cover and move down the hallway towards the secret entrance. He continues to distract the other trolls as the group moves down the hall.

Thech Makes AnAppearance  (Sort of )

Suddenly there is another voice in the hallway. This voice is sharp and quite alien sounding. This must be Thech. It is reprimanding Jabir for being out of his room. It then changes its voice to a mockery of a stern parental voice, telling Jabir he must return to his quarters and that he is not well. Jabir begins to mutter excuses but the group can tell it is not going well.

Hope conjures a portal and pulls Tithe through with her, escaping to the outside of the castle standing beside the others. The light from the portal though alerts Thech and as Lirath begins to pull the weave with his psionic mind the finds the magic is gone.



Lirath's last thoughts are, "Oh....right.", before another ray of magic is blasted towards him. He cannot move as he feels the entirety of his body turning to stone.

The group outside waits for everyone to be accounted for before making their plans.

They continue to wait.

Jabir's Army Retreats

The group of adventurers continue to fight the trolls.

Smallfang's Near Death Experience

30,000 XP

Smallfang leaps across onto the back of one of the trolls, who is climbing up the wall towards the soldiers on top. He plunges the sword into the troll as he lands. He attempts to stab the troll again but as the troll climbs several thorny vines shoot out from its skin and wrap around the dragonborn. He is quickly entangled and unable to move. The troll uses its advantage to repeatedly pummel Smallfang to the point where he is dropped unconscious.

Catya runs and leaps and runs across the wall from one tower down to the wall where another of the mutated trolls has made it to the top of one of the towers. The troll uses one of its massive hands to sweep several of the soldiers off of the tower to their deaths. Catya runs up the leg of the troll and begins to claw her way through its thick hide trying to kill it. Unfortunately, the trolls regeneration makes the attacks less effective than Catya would have hoped for.

Rook meanwhile casts phantasmal killer upon the troll who is attacking Smallfang. The troll sees within its mind it most horrible nightmare and drops Smallfang, jumps down to the ground and begins running away at a furious pace. 

With the aid of Catya, Smallfang regains his feet and is able to heal from some of his injuries.He looks for his sword and finds it still stuck into the back of the troll who is fleeing towards the forest. It has a great lead on the group. Smallfang yells out, "My sword! Hazirawn !". Smallfang and Rook give chase.

Catya stays and is able to finish off the remaining troll. She then follows where the others gave chase to the other troll. Rook uses his mirage arcane spell that was cast to erect ice walls in front of and around the escaping troll. Once caught up the group hacks and slashes the beast until it lies dead. They set fire to the trolls remains in hopes that it does not regenerate and rise again.

Making their way back to the city they come across Hope who is now just rising to her feet, recovering from Rook's magic. She quickly looks around, ready to cast spells against the attacking trolls, only to be told that they have all been defeated...for the moment.

An Airship Belongs In The Air
2,500 XP

Meanwhile, Lirath, who had almost died fighting the trolls attacking the east gate, saved only by Tithe Tuen, the cleric, makes his way back to the others. He tells of the attack on the opposite side of the city. They discuss the oddity of trolls making a coordinated attack and the absence of aid from the airship, the Flying Dragon. Realizing that the airship had given no warnings and made no attacks, they all look up only to see the airship listing awkwardly towards one side as a large swirling mass of wind rise up out of the hold, fling sailors overboard and rise up into the clouds high above the city.

As the airship begins its uncontrolled descent into the highly populated city, Lirath sees a figure jump over the ships railings and jump to the ground. Lirath recognizes the distant figure to be the former Captain MacKenzie, the one that they presumed dead back near IceThorn Castle. From that height, any unaided creature would certainly be dead. But Lirath and Smallfang makes no assumption. After all, the fall down into the depths of the chasm had obviously not killed him. Smallfang and Lirath run to where MacKenzie should have landed.

Meanwhile, Catya turns to Hope and tells her to get her up to the ship. Hope casts flying upon the tabaxi and Catya makes her way upon the airship. Its deck tilted horribly as they stare down into the wide eyes of hundreds of horrified citizens watching their certain death. Catya, from her ceaseless observations and note-taking of the operations of the airship, is able to right the ship just in time and land it onto the waters of the nearby Sea of Swords at the mouth of the Chionthar River. It no longer flies as the air elemental and the arcane mechanisms, that utilized the elemental's powers, are now gone or destroyed.

The Capture Of The Former Captain MacKenzie
1,000 XP

Smallfang and Lirath have pursued and finally captured MacKenzie in the crowded streets of Baldur's Gate. They strip him and walk him all the way to the Order Of The Obsidian Dagger's stronghold. All the way they encourage the gathering crowd to throw insults and rot at the humiliated figure of MacKenzie. Finally, they arrive at the keep and put MacKenzie in it's prison.

As the group moves about within the keep, they hear of the loss of one of the Order's clerics. When Hope asks who it was, they find it was Tithe Tuen, the cleric who had saved Lirath from certain death. When some of the others from the Order find out Lirath is there, they accost the elf and blame him for the abduction of Tithe. When tempers begin to flare, Lirath begins to cast spells upon some of the Order's clerics and stealthily makes his way to safety. But something is wrong with the magic here within the keep. 

Hope meanwhile, talks to the other clerics and finds that one of the trolls retreated from the battle but not before grabbing Tithe and taking her with it. The troll was last seen running for the mountains east of the city. Towards what is now known to be the location of IceThorn castle. Hope begins to sing and play a tribute to the bravery and courage of Tithe. Soon most of the keep is spellbound in awe and sorry listening to the song that Hope weaves. As tears are wiped away most of the keep disperses as everyone continues about their work. 

Some of the Order's members approach Smallfang and tell of the magic within the keep becoming more and more erratic. In fact no clerics or scholars dare to enter the library beneath the keep. Arcane lamps refuse to stay lit and strange sounds and creatures have been experienced. Something is seriously wrong and its influence is growing.

Smallfang reassures them and notes this as a priority. But for now, they all feel that time is of the essence if they are to be able to save and retrieve Tithe from the trolls.  They gather supplies and cold weather gear and prepare to head out. Smallfang goes out into the courtyard of the keep to begin his ritual of find steed. Soon a great griffon lands on the ground beside Smallfang, who unfortunately begins to laugh uncontrollably for the next hour. 

As the group moves out, Smallfang upon his griffon and the rest within a horse drawn wagon, Smallfang continues to laugh uncontrollably. 

They really have to look into what's wrong with the magic weave in and around the Order's keep.

A Poor Ambush
4,000 XP

As they travel closer to the mountains the ground turns into rolling foothills. They keep to the path while Smallfang and Rook's raven providing scouting ahead. Soon though a large boulder crashes into the wagon and the group springs into action. Rook yells that his raven has spotted a large troll on the far side of a hill who is throwing boulders. 

It is over in the blink of an eye, as each within the party descends upon the creature. Hope casts hold monster upon the creature and while it is unable to move each of the rest of the group hacks, slashes and claws the beast until it lies dead at their feet.

They look at each other proudly, dust their hands and continue on their way.

That was easy. Too easy? Nah. They are just that good.

Jabir's Army

The group makes their way through a small passageway hidden in the side of the mountain. This eventually takes them into a small room within the IceThorn Castle. The room, as is the castle, ancient. The rock walls pitted and crumbing. The secret passageway, long since exposed as the wooden barrier has rotted away.

They exit the room and stand in a long dark corridor. They move down the corridor, passing a couple of closed doors on either side of the hallway. They finally approach a pair of massive oak iron reinforced doors at the end of the corridor. The group pauses as Maddox and Smallfang take time to cast their find steed spells. Maddox summons his dire wolf while Smallfang summons a giant spider.

Together the group pushes open the large doors.

Hate Speech

The corridor that was once silent is now filled with the grunts and howlings of a language that none of them understands, except for Katya. She quietly tells them that they are hearing a warlike speech. Someone is invoking the name of Jabir to rally the group to attack Baldur's Gate, the home of the hated Order Of The Obisidian Dagger. They will make the city pay for the insult done to his older brother Jabir.

Smallfang, using his ring of spiderclimbing, climbs along the wall then ceiling of the hallway leading to the group of trolls. He sends his giant spider along the opposite hallway. Together they emerge into a vast chamber within the castle. In total darkness they see dozens of trolls, many of them mutated horribly. Some have two heads. Some have one massive arm. Some have vine growing in and out their entire bodies.

At the front of the group standing on a raised dais, there is a smaller, younger troll. He is the one speaking to the group. Smallfang instructs his spider to move closer to the front, in order to see better. Through the eyes of the giant spider, Smallfang can see a creature behind that of the young troll. It hovers behind and always keeps itself partially hidden behind columns or broken pieces of wall. But it seems to be the one feeding the troll with the words to speak.

At the foot of the dais, laying in a makeshift stretcher, lies the body of a near dead troll. This must be Jabir. The group has heard from the exploits of the others, the story of Jabir (but perhaps not his death). The troll once helped members of The Order, when they had been trying to rescue other members of The Order who had been taken hostage. Jabir aided them with promises given to him, which would see him a member of The Order. He could finally become the hero he had always wanted to be. Unfortunately, it didn't end that way.

For Jabir

Listening, to the speach, Katya hears that Jabir he was cruelly killed trying to join the group who had promised him a hero's redemption. Finding his body mangled and dying his family brought him back to the castle and immersed him in the healing fountain. Unfortunately, the fountain had been tainted hundreds of years ago, which had lead to the abandoning of the castle. Jabir was revived but because of the twisted nature of the fountain, he came back horribly mutated.

After his failed attempt at revenge, Jabir's body returned to the castle weeks later, having been dragged back by the vines growing through his body. After putting Jabir's body back into the pool of water again, he was revived but is little more than a lump of flesh and vine now. The trolls are to take up arms and show the Order the suffering that Jabir endured.

Smallfang retreats back to the group.
He calls back his spider. The spider is spotted crawling along with ceiling and is attacked by a massive thrown boulder. Smallfangs mental link is severed as the spider dies.

Lirath uses Smallfangs spiderclimbing ring to approach the large group of trolls unnoticed and casts a spell to mind control one of the trolls into attacking his neighbors. There is a tremendous cacophony as the group of adventurers hide further back down the corridor.
The sounds abruptly stop and there is complete silence.

A Quick Retreat

There is then a different voice in a different language, which Katya quickly tells the group is telling the trolls that they should spread out and find the intruders. The group quickly retreats back to the secret entrance. Lirath hangs back for just long enough to re-cast the spell which made one of the trolls attack his fellow trolls. But as he loses the power, he feels the spell unravel and the spell has no effect. He is puzzled and more than a little annoyed.

DM Note: No...it wasn't a counterspell. Counterspell does not work on psionics. I know. Trust me.

The group retreats to just outside the mountainside castle. Back out in the perpetual snowstorm, they try to hail the ship, The Flying Dragon. Eventually they fire off an arrow imbued with daylight.
While they wait, they hear the movement of rocks near the castle's collapsed entrance. They concluded that it must be the trolls digging themselves out.

Eventually, two of the ship's crew are dispatched and appear at the far end of the chain bridge. The group crosses, with Lirath again almost falling to his death. Finally they have the ship retrieve them and climbing aboard they debate their possibilities.

They decide that they'd much rather fight the hoard of trolls on their grounds, rather in the troll's lair. So they decide to lay waste to as much of the castle as possible with the ship's cannons. The night is filled with the sounds of explosion and gunpowder smoke as the cannons fire repeatedly at the castle until the ancient entrance way of the castle is unrecognizable. This will not kill off all of the trolls but it will buy them time.

They return to Baldur's Gate.

Preparing For The Seige

Back at the city, the group disperses and each prepares for the coming war in their own way.
Lirath seeks out magical stores within the city in hopes of finding healing potions. He finds that magical stores have become quite rare within the the city for some time now. He eventually settles upon the Order Of The Obisidian Dagger's keep. The mages within, who are contacted out by the Mage's guild to aid the Order, tell Lirath that it will cost him...dearly.

Hearing that they are forcing a hero of Baldur's Gate to pay exorbitant prices for supplies, Hope steps in and uses her bard's skills to eventually, gather a number of healing potions for Lirath.

Maddox and Smallfang use their time organizing the existing forces of Baldur's Gate. Watches are setup. Signal fires and fires for aiding watching the distant forest edge are built. They also teleport to the Netir Vale and emplore Zacheus Rainglove, the current leader of the entire Order Of Obsidian Dagger, to send as many men and woman to fight for Baldur's Gate. They begin sending soldiers at a steady rate.

A week passes and sees the groups efforts begin to take shape.

On a bright late summer afternoon, as the group is moving about the western outer city trying to evacuate all of the residents to inside the city walls, they hear a cry far off at the outer edge of the settlement.

Troll Sighting

The watchtowers begin to ring the warning bells and they light their signal fires. As each neighboring watch tower sees the signal fire they light theirs in turn. As the others are busy trying to usher people to safety, Lirath, who has stayed further behind, notices that the signal fire at the opposite end of the city was lit at nearly the same time as the signal fire here on the western gate.

It is the trolls. At both gates.

Lirath, runs to the other side of the city to aid the gate there, leaving the rest of the group to manage the trolls at this gate.

DM Note: I think this counts as breaking the "don't split the party" rule

The Death (and ressurection) of Lirath

As Lirath approaches the eastern gate, he is met with chaos. The soldiers there are trying to fight off a group of 4 trolls and failing. The trolls break through and begin slaughtering any who stand in their way. Lirath runs up and begins to cast a mind control spell but is smashed to a pulp under the massive fists of two trolls. He falls unconscious and is dying.

Luckily, the group had decided to call out as many clerics as they could from the Order's keep. One of the clerics rushes to the aid of Lirath and revives him. He awakens and is able to summon all of his psionic powers to overcome the trolls.

The Flood

Meanwhile, back at the western gate, the group ushers civilians as fast as they can, while Rook, an illusionist wizard, begins the ritual to cast mirage arcane. Rook transforms almost the entire outer city into a vast lake, hoping to drown the trolls, or at least convince them they're drowning. Trying to buy time to get the city's citizen through the city gates and into the relative safety of the city, Rook also conjures the image of a long wooden dock under the feet of the line of people trying to get into the city. Unfortunately, many of the citizens fall into the illusionist's lake and begin struggling. The group quickly begins to aid people to get to the dock where they can stand.

Meanwhile, the trolls have approached close enough for the group to see them. Some of them charge along the massive dock, some are using the dock to swim and crawl along. As they approach they kill the people who are in their way.

Katya, Rook and Smallfang are all along the dock when the trolls arrive. Hope, the bard, assists from atop the watchtower. As the trolls progress, the group sees the trolls are trying to gain access to the city. Trying to slow them down, Rook transforms the dock into a covered bridge, with the end facing the trolls, closed, save for a small door for the people. As the group ushers the citizens through the covered bridge, they together try to hold back the trolls from atop the bridge's roof.

The Freeze

Hope, seeing the group needing help. Jumps from the parapet of the watchtower to the covered bridge below. The leaps is impressive as is the landing. As she tumbles to her feet she sees the trolls in the water and leaps into the lake below. Just as she is about to surface, Rook decides to trap the trolls by turning the water to ice. It works but Hope is trapped as well. Seeing this, Rook jumps down to the ice and sees the frozen form of Hope a few feet below, trapped within the ice.

Rook tries to help by transforming the bard into an arctic weasel. This at least helps with the crushing pressure of the ice but as he watches the weasel scratch at the ice, uselessly, he realizes that Hope will perish soon if not retrieved from the ice. So he causes the land underneath the ice to raise up and as the ice disperses, the form of Hope back in human form appears.

As the group catches their breath, thinking the trolls are defeated, there is the sound of ice cracking and along spots on either side of the dock/bridge there appears massive cracks with vines pushing out from beneath.

The mutated trolls are emerging.

The group looks at each other and Rook winks at them. He has a plan.