Campaign journal
by RPGPunditTime for another update, hot off the gaming table:
The PCs have just left Alpha, heading across the Sea of Dawn toward Alphatia. The trip takes 5 days, during which time there really isn't any serious action; Alendalan practices his scroll-making skills, Hathalon makes whoopie with Captain Marakaz, and the others mostly sulk from lack of combat.
They head for Trollhattan, passing a little too close to Alphak's Volcano on the way. There they run into a swarm of Robber Flies, which some heavy spellfire makes short work of.
Making it to Trollhattan the PCs are shocked by the weirdness of Alphatian culture (especially the culture of Trollhattan), but adapt as best as possible. Before touching down, Capt. Marakaz had warned Galafilo and Sir Firearm that as non-magic users they would be treated as second-class lifeforms; she also warns the party as a whole that Trollhattan is largely populated by spellcasting monsters and even the undead, and that all of these beings are legal citizens of Alphatia, who should NOT be killed for the loot!
The majority of the PCs choose to stay in the ship that night, rather than risk injuring some kind of Alphatian cultural taboo. But the two elves, as usual, choose curiosity over security. Hathalon takes Marakaz out to an expensive Ogrish restaurant, while Alendalan meets a group of Dryad chicks and takes them out to "Vlad's", a hot nightclub ("don't worry", he's told, "Vlad's not a vampire.. he's just a Lich").
Hathalon only has a night-time encounter with a rogue Mummy, who he and Capt. Marakaz dispatch with little difficulty.
But Alendalan, after a night of wining and dining the ladies, finds himself having to pay a large bar-tab without any Alphatian currency. He manages to reach an accord with Vlad, paying him with a +2 Sword instead of money.
But it turns out the Dryads were just playing Alendalan, they let him walk them to the palatial estate of "their lady" and then bid him goodnight. Alendalan feels suckered, but is about to bow out gracefully anyways, when his intelligent sword (crafted by Valerias) decides that Alendalan must find love; so the sword takes control of Alendalan's mind, and therefore the character.
When the rest of the PCs wake up the next day they find out that Alendalan did not come back that night. After a bit of investigation, they discover that Alendalan tried to illegally break into the palace of the king and queen of Limn, and has been detained by the Ministry of Homeland Defence on suspicion of being a Thyatian spy.
They set about a plan to get him out, by hiring Korg, the brilliant Ogre-Mage/Lawyer ("he's multi-class!"), to try to get Alendalan out. Korg declares that he laughs at the MHD, and swears to the PCs that "Korg will free your puny elf-friend!".
While Sir Firearm and Corwyn were exchanging money to pay for Korg, Hathalon and Galafilo went to the University of Trollhattan to have a chat with a Gold Dragon who teaches history there. He's a friendly sort of guy, and invites them back to his tower (A twenty-story building with 19 floors of loot!) for tea and conversation. They have a very pleasant time, learn a few useful things about Blackamoor and the history of Glantri, and manage to trade some trinkets they picked up at the hollow world for Alphatian currency and a bag of holding.
Once that's done, the whole party heads off to the detention camp where Alendalan is being held. He is interrogated as a suspected spy, and the Alphatians let slip that even though Alendalan appears to be telling the truth, they no longer trust their truth-detecting magic, since the Glantrian assassins who killed General Torenal, and the ones who destroyed the Temples of Asterius and eventually destroyed Aasla also got unclear results from truth-detection. The MHD suspects that the Glantrians have some kind of artefact that thwarts truth-detecting magic.
Korg gets to make his case before a magistrate, and the PCs await nervously, but finally Kort returns proclaiming Victory!
He managed to convince the "puny judge" that the "puny Elf's" sword had dominated him, and since the sword is both intelligent and magic-using it should be the one detained, and not Alendalan.
As such, Alendalan is freed, but loses his just-acquired intelligent sword. Plus, the fact that just a day earlier he had given away his other magic sword means that he's reduced to using his normal sword (of continual light); pretty sad for a tenth level elf.
Capt. Marakaz orders the Tyrant to make way to Shiye Lawr immediately, en route to Sundsvall. The PCs say their thankyous and goodbye's to Korg, and head off.
The next day they are flying over the mountains toward Alfleish when Alendalan spots a gargoyle trying to hide from the Tyrant. The Alphatians mention that its probably part of a gang of rogue (masterless) gargoyle bandits who have been causing trouble in that region. The PCs decide to go down and investigate.
They get down there, and get into combat with five gargoyles, which they dispatch quickly. They head into the cave where the gargoyles made their hideout, but suddenly hear a rumbling up ahead of them.
They see, making its way toward them, a Gargantuan Gargoyle!
The PCs rush back to the mouth of the cave, Hathalon fires a lightning bolt, and Alendalan casts Conjure Elemental to get an earth elemental to start fighting the Gargoyle.
Corwyn casts dispel evil, but the gargoyle makes its save.
But then Sir Firearm rushes in. He is hasted, thanks to the spell Hathalon cast earlier. In one round, he drops the massive beast.
(this, by the way, has convinced me that I'm going to have to start pitting them against seriously tougher opponents)
The PCs find a bit of loot, only a few thousand GPs worth, a potion of dreamspeach, and a +2 dagger of silencing.
They travel on, and the next night arrive in the city of Alfleish.
So ends this session.