Seamus and Menka applied some healing magic and prayers to Cathal and Lycovyne. Warm and bound in wrinkly skin, one book we found was certainly Cultes des Gules. The second book remained unidentified. Lycovyne was definitely not a definite. Menka began to pray for 3 hours to receive the spells cure blindness, remove curse and procure hooker.

Menka then cast cure blindness on Gonchar. To the party’s dismay, it worked.

Family Reunion#

Gonchar wanted to have at the wine-soaked iron golem with the Rod of Smiting. Half the party loved this plan, the rest of us considered it foolish and metagamey. The party decided to do some clean- up and search around the dungeon some more and ponder it.

We returned to the cell with the heap of bones deep within a circle. Gonchar bent the bars to the cell so we could get in. Nothing arose from the pile of bones though Cathal did detect some evil lingering among them. We left them alone (leaving useful spell components behind…) and found nothing else of interest in the cell.

We returned to the large hall with the iron golem just in time to notice Harald, Castellan of Markheim, show up with 2 knights. Cathal burst into the room and yelled “wine!”. That crisis narrowly averted, Lagartha ran to her dad. He was vexed with the party because we hadn’t returned her right away and she threw us under the bus immediately, the little bitch. Cathal and Menka remonstrated with Harrold for a bit and brought him round. He made it clear that Lagartha’s mother Maeve must never find out that her daughter was allowed to explore the dungeons of the mad sorceress, “or believe me you’ll be sorry. (sighs) We ALL will…” We just won’t mention it, then.

The party ascended to the primary level of the complex and was joined by other powerful members of the Markheim delegation, including Ninax, the ranger from the river-keep, and castle officers Agnar and Arndt, the latter of whom appeared overjoyed to see Lagartha. They told the party that they had traveled through a portion of the main level unexplored by the party, and had to contend with piercers.

The party discussed the loony idea of challenging an iron golem. Harald and his group universally scoffed at the foolishness of this endeavor, and told the party they would descend to their horses, and would be leaving for the town with due haste. The party respectfully requested some forbearance and said they would be down presently, after their ill-advised adventure concluded. With that, Harrold took his daughter, his knights and his attitude and left.

Gonchar vs Iron Balls McGinty#

The party decided to take out the iron golem ^{[[<u>Iron Balls McGinty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itv0SoMFZ7E&ab_channel=GregHilchey)</u>]} . Menka suggested writing the password on the wall in a variety of languages and leaving the automaton alone but was voted down. Gonchar, Cathal and Seamus had at the golem while the rest of the party removed themselves from the range of that exquisite breath weapon and cracked a flask.

• no surprise
• initiative win
• Cathal needlessly reminded Kyril that he is a fine mothafucka
• Gonchar hit the golem for 22 points of damage, taking 28 points himself in return
• It breathed poison death all over Gonchar but he saved
• Cathal hit it for 15 points
• initiative loss
• Gonchar got hit for 15 more points
• Gonchar, natural 20 with the Rod of Smiting, destroyed the golem, though he will not get that charge back
• iron golem, 80 hp, Gonchar, Cathal and Seamus split a large pile of XP.

Gonchar pried out an iron golem eye and took it as a trophy.

The Great Outdoors#

We packed our bags and left the dungeon, seeking fresh air and blue skies. We made it outside without incident. On our way out we passed through Snowstorm’s cavern and noted that sunlight now shone through the hole in the roof.

Back out on the snowy tundra, the Castellan’s men had spiked ropes along a path down the steep hillside and were forming a marching order of riders. There were a couple dozen men-at-arms and several lieutenants in addition to the aforementioned NPCs, Castellan and Ninax’s silent, severe, priestess of Ulland, Scarlett O’Mordha by name. The going would still be arduous however and several party members mounted the flying carpet. Snowstorm circled high in the sky above us but did not pay his respects as he spiraled down and entered his lair. Menka cast 3 cure light wounds on Gonchar, getting him up to 59/100.

Harrold, Ninax, Scarlett, Agnar and Arndt and 24 men-at-arms saddled up on war horses. Six extra horses were available for the party. The dwarves were told they could “double up”. Declining to do so, they joined Lycovyne on the carpet while the rest of the party mounted up. Forming a line with the officers, Cathal and Menka up front and the rest of us spread through their line, we marched south.

Although the weather had improved considerably since the party’s arrival in these environs, the temperature was still low and a stiff wind blew as we marched, heads down. The path ahead traveled along steep ravine along the same river that passed through Markheim, many leagues distant. Ambush country. Menka asked Harrold if there was any other way forward and his answer was a curt “no!”. So in we went. Shortly thereafter the horses became extremely skittish and hard to control.

Six Winter wolves streamed down the hillsides, attacking the line!

• initiative tie
• Seamus took 6 points of damage from a frosty breath weapon
• He retaliated for 18 points, though!
• initiative win
• boulders crashed among the line - frost giants!!
• Lycovyne, on the carpet, took 9 points of damage from a boulder, saving for half because it hit him in the head
• dex checks were made on the carpet due to the boulder hit
• Menka got hit by a boulder for 13 points
• There were 4 frost giants, 2 at the top of each hillside of the ravine. Unable to climb the hillside on horseback Menka cast resist cold and rode down the line, attacking the first wolf he reached, which happened to be attaking Seamus and the nearby men-at-arms.
• Kyril ran up the hill toward the nearest giant
• Lycovne leapt off the carpet and attacked a giant, doing 9 points of damage, nearly limbing it
• Cathal jumped up the hillside and attacked a giant, explaining that he was going to see the giant’s mom but found the giant, first
• Harrold and his officers backed up Cathal, swords drawn - it took them a round to reach the knight
• The giant missed Cathal
• A different giant hit Kyril, but did not
• Lycovyne got axed for 18 points (ouch!)
• The wolves missed Seamus
• Menka got bitten for 7 more
• Tim zapped a frost giant with a magic missile for 9 points
• initiative loss
• Flint got hit with an axe for 18 points, having joined the fray on the hillside
• Kyril got axed as well for 13, Cathal for 14
• A boulder bounced by Tim, a near miss
• The wizard zapped the giant again with a magic missile
• Seamus disengaged from his wolf opponents to get them in enfilade and two attacks of opportunity missed him. He then zapped 4 wolves with the Javelin of Lightning.
• Menka missed one of the wolves as it recoiled from the electric shock
• Kyril hit a giant for 6 points
• Harrold and his men hit Cathal’s opponent, while Lagartha drilled that same giant with an arrow
• Lycovyne hit a giant for 17 points
• Flint hit one for 7
• Cathal hit his opponent for 17 points - the giant staggered but did not go down
• Capt. Ninax drilled Cathal’s opponent with an arrow
• The men-at-arms attacked the wolves along the line, concentrating in the middle with Menka and Seamus
• initiative tie
• Seamus tried to run away and draw off the wolves but was not successful, given that they were also in mortal combat with the priest and several men-at-arms
• Seamus took 4 more points of damage from the wolves’ breath weapon
• Menka took 5 more points of damage from a wolf
• Cathal nailed the giant for 15 points but took 16 more in return - we were beginning to lose the war of attrition
• Kyril hit a giant for 5 points, killing it
• Lycovyne sliced a giant wide open for 17 points of damage
• Thiefy-boy hit a giant for 8 points
• Gonchar nailed a giant twice for 30 points
• Menka flailed a wolf from horseback for 10 points
• Cathal nailed his opponent for 14 points, not dead yet
• One of the giants on the other side of the ravine whistled for the wolves to return
• Menka killed a retreating wolf, doing 11 points of damage, praise Thoth!
• Seamus mugged a wolf for 8 points as it ran by
• initiative win
• Cathal hit his retreating opponent for 11 points
• Kyril shouts to Harrold to tell his men not to shoot the eagle and shape shifted into that same raptor, leaping into the sky
• Cathal got hit for 14 more points
• Tim zapped the giant again for 13 points
• Seamus hit a wolf twice for 20 points, killing it
• Menka hit a new retreating wolf for 8 points
• initiative loss
• The giant missed Cathal
• The knight hit the giant twice for 17 points, killing it, finally!
• Kyril dive-bombed the nearest giant, hitting him twice for 11 points but got hit back for 14 points (ouch)
• Gonchar hit his pet giant for 28 points
• Flint hit the same giant for 25 points, killing it
• Menka nailed a wolf from horseback for 8 points
• Seamus missed
• Kyril landed, changed back, gained 5 points
• Seamus made a save vs. breath weapon, taking 6 points
• Menka did not save and took 10 points of damage
• initiative loss
• the remaining wolves and giants fled the field
• 3 frost giants 78, 72, ?? hp
• 6 winter wolves, ?? hp

The party was in grim shape and several of the men-at-arms were dead or injured. We laid on what healing we could. Capt. Ninax’s silent cleric companion, Scarlett, attempted to heal Cathal but the knight refused, thanking her and telling her to cure the rest of the party. She cured some of Menka’s more serious wounds, the priest having been knocked down to one merciful hit point. Cathal laid on hands and applied some battlefield medicine. Healing did not seem to effect Flint. Menka cast remove curse upon the dwarf with no apparent effect. Cathal applied cure disease to the dwarf and he seemed to feel much better. Subsequent healing spells applied to Flint seemed to work as well.

Harrold commended us for our ironclad bravery and we somehow managed to rest out on the tundra, sans fire. On watch Cathal, Kyril and Flint saw polar bears chowing down on the frost giant bodies. Thankfully they showed no interest in the party.