Week 11 - Under Siege.

Stitches out today. Here's some photos of the arm after 2 weeks: 1 2 3 4 5.

Allustan and his small but effective guard head off for Blackwall Keep to confer with Marzena, who is stationed there as battlemage. The party are packed and ready to go, having done some shopping.

I suppose the it all took a little longer than the three days that it was going to have taken last week. Whatever. Can I just say at this point that the items in the Magic Item Compendium are horribly underpriced?

Before departure, there was a pair of little incidents involving Frith. One of his druid nature-boy friends approached him and gave him a flask containing four draughts of a potion for the curing of disease. He could not give any specific reason for it, save that he felt strongly to do so. Odd. Odder still was the near identical incident later, involving the priest of the Silver Flame. This priest gave Frith a loan of a holy symbol of the flame, which when employed will dismiss curses. Such items, however, can only hold just so much of the Flame's virtue when created. This one is old and worn, and probably only has 6 or so uses left. Again, the only reason for it is that "the Flame lit his way" to offer it.

The symbol is, of course, a wand of Remove Curse with 6 charges remaining. Perhaps I ought to rule that, since Frith is not a priest of the Silver Flame, it needs a UMD check. I like it - Frith can cast Remove Curse in his own right now that he's level 5, so it would be ok for Flash or Jericho to use the wand.

Blackwall keep is one of a series of small forts along the Sharn/Wroat road. Of course, everyone who is anyone uses the lightning rail. The road mainly carries freight, people too poor or cheap to use the rail, and people such as our party, who have business along the road itself. Bandits are uncommon here in the heart of Breland. However, the road does run alongside the King's Forest - a huge and relatively untouched forest.

Within the Kings Forest is the Mistmarsh, so named for the mist that rises from it morning and evening. Blackwall keep has the distinction of being the keep nearest the Mistmarsh, hence the battlemage. Unlike most of the forest, the Mistmarsh is rarely explored or entered. This is not because of any specific danger - it is simply that the terrain is difficult and hazardous. There are reports of lizardfolk in the marsh, but they appear to be peaceful - content to be left alone. The attitude of the Brelish forces seems to be that if the place is inhabited by the lizardmen, then there's probably nothing seriously amiss with it.

During the day, the party meet some halfling wagoners - but nothing to write home about. They mistime their schedule, however, and wind up having to make camp that night by the road rather than in one of the forts. All is quiet. It is during Jericho's watch that the spiders attack. The party scramble to emerge from their sleeping bags. Allustan is bitten once - twice. He casts a spell of Dimension Door to get out of the way of the boys. Flash is also bitten, but Arn and Tom kick off their sleeping bags and retrieve their weapons and soon have matters in hand.

Frith uses the spell of Lesser Restoration to restore Flash, and next day uses it a couple of times on Allustan. But ... well, Allustan is an old man. His heart is a little dicky and his knees are bad. By the book he should be totally ok, but he's - well, not 100%. Still: there's no reason not to continue, and pressing reason go speak with Marzena. So long as nothing else happens, he should be fine.

(we totally forgot to roll for secondary poison damage)

Next day and night pass without incident. As they approach Blackwall Keep, however, it becomes clear that all is not well. There is blood and smoke on the air - the smells of battle. The party move cautiously towards the keep. Observing carefully from a distance, they see that the keep is surrounded by six groups of five lizardmen - a small army. Allustan makes a decision. He is not fit to take part in a battle what with the dodgy knee and all, not to mention some residual queasiness from the spiders. "Get into the keep and reinforce the garrison, I will go organise a relief force." When the party nod their understanding, he takes out a horribly expensive scroll of Teleport (break glass to use - emergencies only), reads the incantation and vanishes.

In all honesty, this party could probably trounce the entire force without breaking sweat. But that's metagaming.

The party noisily debate what to do, but luckily are a fair way back. Eventually, a plan is settled on. Flash will create an illusion to draw away part of the force, then they will batter though the remaining lizardmen to the keep.

With a wave and an incantation, Flash calls up a convincing display of a column of knights coming to relieve the keep, out at the very limits of the spell's range. Half the lizardmen go to face this threat. The remainder fan out somewhat to ensure that no-one escapes from the tower. The lizardmen reach the illusion. The party only has a few rounds before they return, so they break for the tower. Arn and Tom lead the way, along the road. A shortcut across the hill might be preferable, but the tower is fortified with spikes jutting out of the ground. They engage one group - killing all of them including the commander of the attack. They engage and kill most of a second group nearer to the tower. The survivors retreat and join the third group that had not run off to battle the illusion.

The keep's garrison admit the party. Wasting no time on pleasantries, the spellcasters ascend the stairs to take advantage of the second-storey balcony, and the fighters head outside. The rest of the lizardmen are returning, but Arn and Tom cut down some more lizardmen and without their commander the morale of the attacking force breaks. The casters throw a spell or two out of pique, but it's all over. There is one remaining leader among the lizardmen - obviously a shaman of some kind. Tom and Arn subdue him and drag him inside.

Within, the garrison commander and the party brief one another. The attack came without warning or provocation. There has been almost no contact with the lizardmen of the Mistmarsh, but the occasional fleeting contact had been peaceful. Says Bog (one of the common soldiers): "yep, I saw one of 'em once, clear as day down by the edge of the Mistmarsh. I waved at him, he waved back, then he was gone. We think Bill saw one once, too, but we ain't sure."

One thing is sure, however. In the initial attack the lizardmen broke through the tower door and seized four hostages. One of them was Marzena, with whom the party and Allustan had come so far to confer. And one other thing is pretty much sure. Waiting for the relief is not an option. The tribe that attacked -for whatever reason - are savage. If Marzena and the others are not rescued without undue delay, they will be killed and eaten.

But first, there is their prisoner. And Flash - a changeling beguiler who speaks draconic.

Well! How much can they learn from their captive? Why did the lizardmen attack? What's changed? Who's responsible? Where have they taken their prisoners, and will they really kill and eat them? All these answers and more may or may not be forthcoming next week, depending on Flash's luck and skill. Then, of course, there's crossing the swamp, finding the lizardmen's home, and the actual rescue to think about.

And finally - can Marzena (if she lives) shed a little light on the worm situation? It's module 3 in the series, and about time the party discovered something concrete about the annelid menace and the coming age of despair and wormy destruction. As always, stay tuned!