Date: 05/06/10

XP Awarded: 3,487

Start: The Brinestump Marsh near the town of Sandpoint, mid winter.

As the party takes in the sight of the swampy clearing opening in front of them, Glanthal springs into action. He stomps across the wooden log in front of him to take up a defensive stance on a low rocky outcropping protruding from the icy bog. The goblin wolfriders see this and move to encircle the party by crossing one of the logs leading to the shoreline on the party's left. At the same time, a trio of goblin dogs race barking from a thicket of icy brambles on the right. They cross another log to encircle Glanthal, but the heavily armored dwarf cuts one down as it tries to run past him. The party also sees a large group of goblins hiding in the icy undergrowth that the goblin dogs came from.

Elvisa moves forwad to take up a position next to Glanthal, as Gob moves forward onto one of the log bridges and uses a spell to magically speed up the party. Tongtokl uses his druidic magic to change the thin vegetation on the party's left into a hazardous field of razor-sharp thorns and sends Copper Dragon to guard against anyone who might escape the field. With a loud roar, a huge, burly minotaur bursts forth from the thick undergrowth hiding the goblins. He charges forward onto the hefty trunk linking his hiding place with Glanthal's rock, the thuds of his heavy hooves falling on the log echoing around the swampy clearing. Unable to reach Glanthal, he lowers his head and snorts, preparing to gore. The horde of chattering goblins run forward behind him, jeering and chanting.

Spotting the oncoming minotaur, Glanthal shifts to one side to position the goblin dogs between himself and the beast. The goblin wolfriders trapped in Tongtokl's spell urge their mounts forward. One forces his wolf to ride forward to the edge of the thorn field and leaps clear of his dying mount to land before Copper Dragon. Another wolf leaps into the icy bog, breaking through the thin ice, and begins swimming towards Glanthal's rock. The other two remain in place, cursing their wolven mounts. The goblin dogs snap at Glanthal, but aren't able to get past his heavy shield and shining plate. With another snort, the minotaur charges and strikes one of the goblin dogs with his lowered horns, tossing it high into the air. It's body lands far out into the frozen pond, and the minotaur readies it's huge axe to strike the dwarf. Glanthal counter-attacks with his axe and deals several deep cuts into the beast, while Elvisa dispatches the last of the goblin dogs.

Gob fires his crossbow at the goblins, killing one crossing the log. Tongtokl summons a ball of fire into his hand and he throws it at the goblin threatening Copper Dragon, hitting and burning it. Another of the mounted goblins forces his wolf to ride out of the thorn field and faces Copper Dragon, who is now badly hurt from the goblin's axes. Tongtokl calls Copper Dragon to return to him and the spellcasters retreat over the log onto the rock Glanthal is defending from the minotaur. As the goblin and wolfrider close in, Elvisa charges over and dispatches the axe-wielding goblin with a mighty blow. Glanthal kills the minotaur, who topples off the rock into the deep waters of the bog, and a swarm of goblins rush forward.

While Glanthal cuts through the goblins one by one, Elvisa kills another wolf, sending its rider tumbling to the ground. With a barrage of crossbow bolts and flaming missiles, Tongtokl and Gob take out the wolfrider swimming towards them through the bog. They shift their fire to kill the remaining wolfrider trapped in the thornfield, and Elvisa runs after a fleeing wolfrider to kill him as well. The goblins rushing towards Glanthal realize the certain doom they are heading into, and turn to run back into the icy thickets.

With the swampy clearing now silent but for the dying cries of a few goblins, the party sets about exploring the area. The low rocky outcroppings jutting from the bog's surface are revealed to be the remains of stone walls, and in the dimming afternoon light Gob notices that a few of the stone surfaces hold faintly glowing runes. Closer investigation shows that they seem to be Thassilonian runes of some type, indicating the ruins are likely very, very old. A circular portion of the bog is curiously ice-free, but its distance from any shoreline make it impossible to investigate. With dusk closing in, the party return to the area of small hillocks they had passed shortly before and Tongtokls chooses a campsite in a protected area.

The night passes uneventfully, though the sleet continues. When the party wakes, they are surrounded by what seems to be a forest of crystal. The ice-encrusted undergrowth catches the weak rays of the sun and scatters it in a prism of icy blue light. The adventurers return to the site of the previous day's battle and carry out another search of the area, but find nothing. The bodies of the minotaur and goblin are now encased in a coating of ice in a macabre display. Tongtokl changes form into a seal and plunges into the freezing, murky water to investigate the ice-free circle in the center of the bog. The water is so dark that he can't see much, so he gets a stone with a light spell cast upon it and discovers that directly under the circle of ice-free water are the remains of a circular stone structure encrusted with a thick layer of mud. The area seems to have been undisturbed for a long, long time, so he swims back to the party and resumes gnomish form, using a spell to help his soaking wet body resist the freezing temperatures.

The party is a bit uncertain how to proceed and debate the next step for a bit. Gob sends Lemmywings to scout the area and the party carries out another search of the nearby swamp while waiting for his return. Tongtokl finds what may be a game trail, and the party sets out along it. After an hour of slow progress through the icy terrain, the group hears the faint sounds of goblin chanting approaching. Hiding in the undergrowth, the sounds get closer and closer then suddenly stop. There is a terrified chattering, and the goblin voices quickly recede. Gob sends Lemmywings to track the goblins from the air, and the party cautiously follows from a safe distance.

After another hour of travel, the group finds itself skirting a low ridge running through the swamplands. On the far side of the ridge, the ground is firmer and the vegetation much thicker. The goblin trail the adventurers are following opens up onto a pond at the base of a small, frozen waterfall. On the far side of a small stream draining the pond, the party can see a large cave opening and several smaller. Between the stream and the caverns is a draconic humanoid in full plate armor with a two-bladed sword, watching the party. He roars "Fools! You will die for your interference!" and steps forward to block the party from crossing the stream.

Glanthal cautiously steps forward in front of the rest of the group and takes up a defensive posture and Gob casts another spell to magically speed up the party's warriors. A small group of goblin warriors emerge from one of the smaller caverns, and Elvisa uses her magically enhanced speed to run and make an amazing jump across the pond to place herself within striking distance of them. Tongtokl casts a spell and the hazy clouds in the sky overhead darken and begin to swirl. Another, smaller goblin emerges from the small caverns and moves near Elvisa to blast her with a cone of flame from her outstretched hands. Elvisa dodges with a roll and escapes unscathed.

The burly draconic humanoid moves up to the edge of the murky stream and again takes up a defensive position, and Glanthal also moves up to engage him in melee. As he steps onto a large, flat rock in the centre of the stream, a muddy geyser erupts from the water and shapes itself into a threatening humanoid form which strikes Glanthal with an oversized fist. The draconic creature takes advantage of Glanthal's surprise to strike with his double-bladed sword, but Glanthal's armor deflects the blow. Glanthal brings his axe around and hews at the draconic creature with his axe, cutting deeply.

The trio of goblin warriors move to surround Elvisa and though she manages to dodge most of their axe blows, a few slip through her defenses. She dives and rolls around them and delivers a strong blow to the goblin spellcaster, who squeals with pain and backs out of her reach to blast Elvisa with a volley of magical bolts. Tongtokl calls a bolt of lightning from the swirling clouds to blast the watery creature threatening Glanthal. There is a spray of water, a cloud of steam, and a thunderous roar, but the creature quickly reforms by pulling more brackish water up from the stream. Tongtokl instructs Copper Dragon to assist Glanthal against his opponents, and the dog races forward to leap across the stream.

Gob throws a tiny bead of fire towards Glanthal's opponents and it blossoms into a roaring inferno, the licking flames almost washing over Glanthal. Again, the watery creature pulls more water from the stream to reform, though the draconic creature seems to be badly burned. The watery creature slams Glanthal again with his two enormous fists, badly wounding the dwarf. The draconic creature bellows and follows up with another vicious slice from his double-bladed sword and Glanthal falls to the ground, dying. Another slice from the sword wounds Copper Dragon. The axe-wielding goblins again move to surround surround Elvisa, inflicting another wound. Elvisa strikes back and one falls to the ground, lifeless. The goblin spellcaster throws another volley of magical bolts at Gob, wounding him. Gob throws a lightning bolt of his own at the watery creature, blasting a hole right through the center. The creature reforms using the swamp water to regenerate itself, but is noticeably smaller than before.

With a shrieking cackle, a tall but rail-thin green-skinned hag appears immediately next to Tongtokl and Gob and grasps Gob with her filthy but surprisingly strong hands. Gob feels the strength start to flow out of his body, but wrenches free and resists the attack. Tongtokl backs up from the hag and calls another lightning bolt onto the draconic creature, killing it. Copper Dragon is slammed by the watery creature and is now badly wounded.

Elvisa drops another axe wielding goblin and takes a step towards the goblin spellcaster, but isn't able to reach her before she blasts him with another cone of flame. This time, Elvisa isn't able to dodge out of the way and is scorched. The hag steps toward Gob and again grasps him, and this time he isn't able to resist the strength drain. Dizzy and exhausted, he wavers but barely manages to stay on his feet. Tongtokl calls down another lighting blast onto the watery creature, and this time it doesn't reform from the swampy stream. He calls Copper Dragon back to attack the hag, but Copper Dragon's teeth cannot get through the hag's surprisingly tough skin.

Elvisa kills the last of the goblins threatening her, but isn't able to reach the leering spellcaster to finish her off. She can faintly hear cries for help coming from another cavern entrance near the waterfall, sealed by thick columns of ice. Distracted by Copper Dragon, the hag uses her filth-encrusted claws to rend the stalwart dog, and he falls to the ground dying. Gob takes advantage of the hag's distraction to throw a volley of magic bolts into the goblin spellcaster, dropping her. Elvisa takes another running jump to again leap over the pond. Though her magically enhanced speed has worn off, she still easily clears the distance.

Tongtokl calls down the last of his lightning bolts to strike the hag, then moves over to Glanthal's still body. The hag returns its attention to Gob, and with another strength-draining attack, Gob's body falls helpless to the ground. Elvisa closes with the hag and begins to pummel her with her fists. Tongtokl uses a powerful healing spell to revive Glanthal, as the hag narrowly misses eviscerating Elvisa with a powerful blow.

As Elvisa dodges the hag's blows and lands a few of her own, Glanthal gets back on his feet and closes with the hag. Tongtokl rushes to Copper Dragon's side to heal him with the last of his magic, as Elvisa and Glanthal finish off the swamp witch. Rushing over to the cavern sealed with ice, Elvisa shatters the thick icicles with a spin-kick and helps several emaciated human sailors climb out of the opening, as well as a young man the party recognizes as Valorio Escelant. Sobbing as they climb out of the stinking cave, the prisoners relate stories of how their comrades were eaten one by one, added to the witch’s stew pot. Valorio Escelant is profusely grateful and helps Glanthal build a roaring blaze using firewood from a pile found in the cavern. Tongtokl bandages wounds as the prisoners thaw, and Gob sends Lemmywings to scout the nearest way out of the swamp. Once he returns, Gob scrawls a message for Sheriff Hemlock and sends Lemmywings back to Sandpoint with the note tied to his leg.

Once everyone is in traveling condition, the group sets out along one of the goblin trails Elvisa has scouted. With Glanthal forging a path through the tangled vines, the party makes good time. Though the party has a difficult time getting everyone safely across the frozen Soggy River, within two hours the group has climbed out of the Brinestump Marsh to the windswept Ashen Moor. Finding an old, abandoned barn, the party builds a warming fire for the prisoners and it isn’t long before Sheriff Hemlock arrives with Kiria and Garrick, leading a party of sturdy draft horses pulling several large wagons laden with blankets. The group turns round and returns to Sandpoint, arriving just after sunset to a hero’s welcome.

The sailors are put up in the White Deer and the adventurers return to the Rusty Dragon to recount the stories of their heroic rescue and knock back a few tankards of ale. With Father Zantus’ healing abilities, the sailors are soon in traveling condition and the next morning the large group board the Stormwolf. Soon the sleek longship is making excellent time across the Varisian Gulf towards Magnimar.

Arriving at sunset after an uneventful journey, the adventurers (including Tongtokl) are collected by the gilded Escelant carriage and brought directly to Escelant manor in the exclusive Alabaster district. There is a tearful reunion between Phelan and Valorio. As a sign of his gratitude, Phelan offers the party a bonus for a job well done. Gob, Elvisa, Glanthal, and Tongtokl each receive 1,000 pieces of gold as well as the goodwill of the Escelant family, one of the most prominent and powerful noble families in the city of Magnimar.

A month passes as the adventurers regain a portion of their former popularity. Invitations to parties, dinners, and balls fill the weeks. The winter slowly progresses, with less severity than it started. Though the days are short and overcast, and often filled with rain, Magnimar’s distractions do well in keeping the party busy. Garrick parts ways, leaving on a ship for adventures further south. Not long after, Shalelu returns to Magnimar and moves into Kiria’s room in the party’s townhouse.

Then one day, a summons. The party is invited to appear before Lord-Mayor Grobaras at Defiant’s Garden, his magnificent palace overlooking the city from its perch atop the Seacleft. Once assembled, the Lord-Mayor recalls how the party performed a great service for the city of Magnimar by putting a stop to the ruthless serial killers haunting the city not so long ago. He tells the adventurers that Magnimar has need of their services again.

There has been no contact with Magnimar’s most distant holding, remote Fort Rannick near Hook Mountain, for quite some time. The Black Arrows, the soldiers stationed at Fort Rannick, have traditionally been isolationists, but such a long silence is uncharacteristic even for them. He needs a reliable group of talented individuals to investigate Fort Rannick and ensure that all is well. He offers the party 300 pieces of gold each to cover their expenses for the trip and pay for their valuable services.