We sold some extraneous gear and cleaned house a bit. Gonchar and Cathal visited the keep armorer and got their plate mail repaired.

Anticipating 10 days on the road (5 to the Tomb under the cliff and 5 back) we purchased horses, feed and iron rations for around 278 pieces of gold.

The road out of town was clear as we left Markheim early in the day. The party proceeded south, with mountains rising to the east, those same mountains within which the party rescued Marksgaard’s kidnapped daughter. We passed southward through scattered houses and small farmsteads scattered among copses of trees. The area was verdant and green but also rocky and hilly.

5 miles from town the party reached a hillcrest, looking down a steep embankment far below there were open plains to the southeast with mountains beyond in the distance. The hills continued to the west, rising to mountains in the distance as well. The open plains, it seemed, were a valley surrounded by hills and mountakns on all sides.

At this hillcrest was a village surrounded by small homestead farms. Oddly, those homestead farms tended livestock and gardens amongst these rocky hills, instead of in the open, fertile plains in the valley below.

A’heb the Hunter#

In the rough village center there seemed to be a burly fur-trader negotiating with village folk. This large, filthy cretin sat astride a massive Clydesdale, and greeted the party with a large, yellow-toothed grin which spread across his filthy face and unkempt beard. Calling himself A’heb, as stated mounted on a large Clydesdale, pulling a travois piled with pelts and, quite noticeably, a huge armored hide of thick plates and scales of grey-blue. He bristled with weapons - hand axe and dagger at belt, longsword across back, carrying a large, polished, loaded crossbow. He wore sleeveless scale mail with a breastplate but had free, heavily muscled and scarred arms. He was balding, with wispy hair emitting from a ponytail at the back, and an unkempt grey beard. He smelled of sweat and has clearly been afield for some time.

With him were two dour half-orcs, both heavily muscled, carrying bows and longsword, one strung, the other bow and a battleaxe (bow on back). They did not speak, and carefully watched the party. Their mounts were also piled with pelts, and one lead a mule piled with furs.

A’heb greeted the party warmly and asked if we came from Markheim. He spoke warmly of the Diamond Spider Inn and the staff there, and inquired as to the well-being of several dancers, in particular Vishina. The party gleaned from him that he is a hunter, and gathers pelts and hides for trade. The plates/scales on the travois, fully 11’ long or longer are from a beast he calls “the teeth of the earth” and “land shark” - “the open fields here are full of ’em - keep to the rocky areas and hills if you know what’s good for ye - they love horseflesh”. He said that Harald Maarksgaard pays bounties for each hide

• “AND I get to sell it to the armorers for shields! Too bad we don’t have a dwarven smithy around here - they can do great things with these hides for shields” he says, winking at Gonchar and Flint.

The local farmers were rubbing the juice from the creatures’ teeth on their daily implements. Apparently it conferred a literally magical sharpness. The cart also carried skins and furs. Kyril had heard of such a creature but never seen one.

He warned that the party should be wary of gnolls - “there are bands of em, and I think some of them bunk up somewhere near the river farther south. Giants too - that’s why I keep these boys (indicating the tense half-orcs) with me, we’ve had our tangles with ’em.”

He knew vaguely of the red hill and the legend of the two-headed king (“I’m no youngster, but before my time, and I’m from the west way over on the other side of the Vinewood anyway, south of the Kingdom of many isles - but they still talk of him around here”). He has seen the red hill from afar (“down near the swamps of Gunderhold, which isn’t as good hunting, and anyway down near that hill an’ in them hills there the forests are too quiet and empty, and them swamps are too dangerous”).

Conversation inevitably returned to theDiamond Spider and the dancers, and he made it clear that he’d been “afield” for some time and needs some company, and he asks more questions about certain girls - the half-orcs rolled their eyes subtly…

Giant Attack#

It was high noon when we left the village behind. As we left Gonchar flipped A’heb a platinum piece in thanks for the information. We headed due south, sticking to the hills and following game trails. To the east, to our left, the open plains spread out into the distance with mountains beyond.

An hour later we were following a deer path throught the hills. Seamus, running ahead, dodged a boulder, while another boulder bounced off Gonchar’s shield.

• Surprised!
  • Hill giants, attacking from higher up the valley walls!
  • Flint, struck by a boulder, took 11 points of damage.
• initiative loss
  • A boulder hit Kyril, but missed
  • Another missed Lycovyne, then hit him for 13 points
  • Tim cast Ray of Enfeeblement on one of the giants
  • Kyril and Flint ran toward the enfeebled giant, it could no longer lift a boulder
  • Flint used the Wand of Wonder and shouted “fireballs”, though the rest of the party saw no such spell being cast
  • Cathal nailed one of the other smelly, hairy fucks for 17 points
  • Seamus watched the area
• initiative win
  • Cathal hit that same giant again for 18 points
  • Lycovyne rolled a 19 with the Sword of Sharpness and lopped a giant’s head off!
  • Menka hit the feeble giant for 10 points
  • Kyril hit him for 6 more
  • Gonchar threw his hammer and nailed it for 33 points
  • Flint shouted that the giant he attacked with the Wand was on fire and laughed in glee, though the party saw no such effect
  • Tim cast 2 magic missiles at a giant, doing 33 points of damage, killing it
  • Menka missed and chipped a nail
• initiative win
  • Kyril hit the giant for 7 more points
  • Menka chipped another nail
  • The giant missed, feebly
  • Cathal jumped the distance and attacked, doing 8 points of damage
  • The paladain then cursed and insulted the giant in its own language - it attacked him and missed
• initiative win
  • Lycovnyne hit the feeble, bleeding giant for 9 points, then Kyril hit it for 10 more, killing it.
  • and Sally’s took to playing poker, and the Joker’s her favorite card
• 3 hill giants: 50 hp. each
• Loot: 80 gp

Cathal bound Lycovyne’s wounds, getting him back 1 point. Tim bound Flint’s wounds for 2 points. Cruise director Julie was a serial murderer who liked to be gang-banged ^{[That's what it says in the notes, therefore, it is true.]} .

We mounted back up and continued south following an antelope trail. As dusk approached we reached a stream wandering southeast, then eventually due south. (see st52-area-map.psd)

It was late in the day and this was a great place to rest. We setup watches and spells. Kyril summoned some bats to watch over us and raise an alarm if anything untoward approached use while we slept.

• First watch: heard a female voice somewhere in the forest calling for help in the common tongue. The first watch did not take it up with the rest of the party and we took no action.
• Second watch: Nothing. Bupkis.
• Third watch: we sensed large creatures circling around the horses, in the skys above. Menka and Kyril did their right best to get the horses in a group and under cover. The druid cast plant growth and grew a strong, covering canopy to cover the beasts while the monk did his best to explain our intent to them. (How??>) Flint used the Wand (theee Wand) to fill the air with butterflies The large creatures seemed to fuck off as soon as Kyril’s canopy was complete.
• Watch four: Nothing happened. No, really. Nothing happened.

We postulated wyverns as the would-be attackers.

The sun rose and we broke camp. Kyril left his living canopy in place to thrive as it saw fit. We mounted and followed the stream due south at the foot of the hills. Off in the distance we saw steam and mist rising into the sky.

The Hot Springs and the Log Cabin#

A path lead off the track over the stream and into the steamy foothills. We continued due south.

We kept following the stream and discovered a hot spring. The stream wound its way through several large, regular geysers. The ground was crusted over, hard with salty residue, especially around the geysers. The presence of salt springs in this area (interrupting a freshwater stream) would be a perfect breeding ground for Abigail and her deep folk friends.

The mountains to the west were obscured by the mist. On our right, far above our heads, a building loomed. Looking up, we saw it through the mist and foliage. The building itself faced south.

To the east we saw large (9’) stork-like birds walking around. They seemed to be metallic.

Lycovyne, Menka and Flint mounted Cathal. Er, they mounted the Carpet and Cathal levitated, holding on. We rose into the air and approached the building, cautiously. It seemed to be a large, roughly-built, sturdy-looking log structure. Smoke or perhaps vapor of some kind spilled out through the loose log joints. There was indeed a path on the other side of the stream which approached the structure, likely the small path we’d seen prior.

The 4 aeronauts returned to the ground and, as a party, we decided to skip this building for now and visit it on the way back. We skirted the hot springs and continued due south on the path along the stream.

We rode on for 2 hours or so without incident. 7 or 8 miles south. We noticed something large splashing about in the stream. Frisky giant otters as it happened, 10-12’ long. They showed no interest in us. Kyril, frisky himself, identified several of the group of otters as females, and that mated pairs were probable. Nodding our heads in sage agreement, we continued on.

Later that afternoon we smelled wet vegetation strong in the air and saw a swamp in the near distance. The stream we followed emptied into a swamp and hills rose on the other side. The stream forked and flowed southwest and southeast.

The river was 30’ across before it forked. We were nervous about leading the horses across the river but the crossing was shallow and easy and Seamus lead them across without incident while the rest of us crossed on the Carpet like real men.

Successfully across, and darkness falling to the ground, we decided to rest again. Kyril pitched another tent for the horses wink wink. All 4 watches were quiet and uneventful.

The Tomb in the Red Hill#

We had crossed the river and now followed the stream’s southwestern fork. A steep, barren hillock loomed before us, carved out of the red rock or so it seemed. We did not get too close (recalling Grom’s warning about giant fiery arrows being launched from the walls). We decided to circumnavigate and reconnoiter. The south face of the rocky edifice had been milled and looked more structural. The other faces were blank and we found no secret passages anywhere. The northern face was a sheer cliff.

We made our way back to the south face, which seemed to be the only point of entry into the hill. We closed to about 50 feet. Large black doors were set in the cliff face, each one adorned with the relief of a crown. A runic message was carved into the living rock. None among the party could parse the script. To the left, what appeared to be the foundation of a long-gone structure held up crumbled columns.

Cathal sensed evil from within the edifice, certainly, but there was a general evil malaise haunting the local woodlands as well. And Gonchar really needs a shower.

Flint carefully climbed the few stairs to the foundation and looked around. Menka and Tim got on the Carpet and flew over. They observed, carved into the top surface of the foundation, is a 10’ wide circle of symbols (crowns, a sword, a fist, a scepter, fire, moon, a gem and a pentagram).

The party turned its attention back entering the hill. Flint tried to “read languages” on the runes over the large black doors to the right and was successful.

WITH THIS I CONQUERED

WITH THESE I RULED

MY RETURN IS FORETOLD

Unwilling to jump into the maw of the almost certainly trapped double doors, we pondered a way around. Menka cast passwall next to the doors at an angle that should intersect the hallway immediately on the other side. Indeed, it did empty into a large entrance hall carved out of the living, red rock.

The party stepped in, as foul air and red dust burst forth from the newly opened gate into the red cliff face….

end