Session 42 – The Duthelm Scout Party

[avisarr]

Session 42 – The Duthelm Scout Party

The party left the phanglir fortress with their new guide, the omarin named Torel. Torel proved to be a good guide. He knew the north lands well.

After traveling north for two days, the party came across across a number of tracks, several days old and very worn and faint. Following the tracks soon brought them to a battlefield. Dead wights and slain Horde creatures lay scattered about, rotting under the sun. The party took this opportunity to study the horde creatures up close. There were several smaller types. The party dubbed these "Lesser" hordelings. There were also a few larger creatures, which they dubbed greater hordelings.

The booted footprints of soldiers were clearly evident as well. However, one set of foot prints are very large and very, very deep. An enormous heavy humanoid walked by here, apparently wearing armored boots. In addition to the bodies and footprints, there were large holes and gouges in the ground. Burn marks and blood stained the battle field as well.

The party followed several sets of tracks leading away from the battle field. After following the tracks for several hours, they saw smoke on the horizon to the northwest. They stealthily approached. They peered over a rocky ledge and looked down on an encampment. They immediately knew they had found the advance Duthelm scout party.

This is what the party was able to make out...

Cabin - A crude earth wall shelter with a grassy roof. Clay door. Door is open and a light is coming from inside. One window. Clay shutter. Also open.

Campfire - There's a central camp fire and there is a soldier cooking something over it. Meat of some kind – a large animal on a spit. It smells delicious. You can smell it from where you are.

Wagon - A large wagon loaded with supplies. Wagon is currently unhitched. No beast of burden is visible. A few crates and barrels. Six barrels of fresh water. Two barrels of ale. A couple of bedrolls. Lantern, oil, a red omarin cloak. Thieves tools kit. A map of the Desolation. Iron spikes. Four 100' lengths of silk rope. A length of 20 feet of chain. A shovel. A pick. An axe. A crowbar.

Card Game - Two soldiers are playing a card game.

Sleeping Soldier – One bloodguard soldier is asleep. It is important to note that he is wearing armor and has his sword in his hand. Unusual, except in the Desolation.

A Desolation Wight – A captured Desolation wight on a chain. It's wounded with several different types of wounds. Burn, blade, puncture. Looks as if they were studying it. It's eating something. On close inspection, you see it's eating the severed arm of a wight.

The Dragon Hounds – Three dragon hounds. Large ugly canine like creatures with dragon wings. These creatures are eating the flesh of some humanoid creatures. Can't tell what it was. Raw meat.

The Skeletons – Six charred skeletal things are standing guard. They are standing at the perimeter. Armed with sword and shield. They will make a racket if they see any living creature approach.

The Perimeter – Around the camp in a 60 yard radius, there is a thin line burned into the grass in a large circle. Spellcraft can tell them it's a version of the alarm spell. Offer this to the player. Would you like to try spellcraft on it? If some one tries to cross it, the line in that area lights up with ghostly fire. Also, the person or thing crossing it is lit up like faerie fire.


Ugita used his True Sight vision and was able to determine that one of the dragon hounds was actually a morphian in disguise. It seemed that the morphians had infiltrated this group as well.

Ugita also studied the thin line burned in the grass that surrounded the camp. He was fairly certain it was some kind of modified version of the alarm spell, but he couldn't be sure of the specifics.

The party decided to attack. They took up positions and then all rush in at once. As they rushed across the burned line in the grass, the line erupted in magical faerie fire. The heroes themselves erupted in ghostly flames that clearly illuminated them.

Battle was joined. The fighters rushed forward and crossed blades. The Duthelm bloodguards were completely caught off guard. The ringing of steel filled the air. Rothgar stayed outside and fired arrows into the perimeter (his arrows lit up as they passed through the perimeter).

Grimnoth marched forth and strode into battle swinging his blade at the skeletal warriors.

A Black Sorcerer, emerging from the stone cabin, raised his hand and began sending fiery bolts of energy into the battle. Several of these struck Callister, burning him and knocking him to his feet. The Black Sorcerer was short lived as several of Rothgar's arrows suddenly sprouted from his back.

The queen's guard and the commanding Abyssal Knight strode out from the cabin. The Queen's Guard pulled out his blade which wailed as if alive and left a trail of vaporous green energy behind it as the blade moved through the air. The blade seemed to hum with power.

Callister crosses blades with the Queen's Guard. Steel against steel, their blades clash against each other's armor again and again. The mariner's twin blades strike again and again, but fail to penetrate the thick armor of the blood guard. Still reeling from the pain and dizziness of the sorcerer's plasma bolt, Callister moves stiffly and painfully.

Torel, Ugita and the others stood together against the Abyssal Knight. Rothgar rained arrows in and several punched through the Abyssal Knight's armor. Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, the Abyssal Knight managed to wound all of them badly before succumbing to their assault.

During this battle, two of the dragon hounds were slain. The third one, the one that Ugita had identified as a morphian fled. Despite the fact that Rothgar put two arrows in it, the morphian/dragon hound managed to get away.

The Queen's guard, still locked in battle with Callister, lunged forward and his blade pierced Callister through the heart. The sword roared with green fire as Callister slumped forward, still impaled, as his soul fled his body. Before the victorious Queen's Guard could pull his sword free, one of Rothgar's arrows tore through his neck, ripping his throat out. The startled Queen's Guard clutched at his throat as blood gushed down his front. He fell forward heavily and was still.

Moments later the dull roar of a fireball detonated, catching the remaining Duthelm soldiers in a fiery death.

When the smoke cleared, the battle was over. The Duthelm soldiers had been wiped out. The heroes were still standing... all but Callister. The others rushed over to Callister and found him laying on the ground, the Queen's Guard sword run through his chest. They pulled the glowing green sword out from him and checked his pulse. Nothing. Callister was dead.