Date: 1/13/96

Players: JC, Chris, Richard, Kathy

Characters: Rio, Raagnar, Elrin, Dre, Chirri, Eric

JC discovers that Rio has gone up to 10th level. 3 more HP, better saving throws.

Group begins at Inn at CrossWay waiting for stage. Weather is cooling rapidly as evening sets in. There are two other guests, a man (Richard) and a woman waiting for the stage. She's going to her temple in Waterdeep, House of the Moon. Raagnar begins a conversation with her. Dre begins a conversation with the man, Elrin. They get into a dice game called 'Under and Over 7'

13 days until High Harvest. We'll get to Waterdeep in two days. Stopping the first night at the Griffin (a small wayside inn meant for coach travel). Tristana and Elrin are also taking the stage with us.

The night passes uneventfully and the next day dawns. 12 days until High Harvest.The temperature has dropped to about -20 (with wind chill) and the sky is a deep purplish with black clouds overhead. It doesn't get very bright. Raagnar gets up early to run with Elrin. While they are running Rio catches up with them (he's still in German Shepherd form) and runs along as they race to the bridge and back. About halfway into the race Elrin turns it (something) on and beats Rio and Raagnar by a LONG way.

The coach comes, a long low flat carriage. After a few minutes Rio lags behind and changes form into a hawk to scout ahead. The coach travels for about 1/2 hour and then comes to a point where they pass an old man sitting on a boulder by the side of the road. He calls out for assistance using the name of Tyr. Naturally Eric hops off immediately and converses with the old man. At one point he drops to his knees in front of him. Then he gets up and hurries back to the carriage asking for his possessions. Eric must leave the group. He can't explain exactly why but he knows he must depart with this old man. They turn and walk into the distance behind us.

After a little more traveling Cherri hops off to go and visit that necessary tree. He does not return after an expected amount of time so Rio, Dre and Elrin go to look for him. We follow the trail into a copse of trees and find Chirri under attack from five large batlike creatures. They're attacking with claws, tails and a special attack. A beam of blue light comes out of one of the creatures eyes hitting Chirri in the chest. He screams. They all attack Chirri again in the round that Rio, Dre and Elrin get there and can attack.

MELEE

During melee Chirri tries a spell, magic missiles that work. He gets hits several more times by these blue beams of light. After 5 rounds Chirri's StoneSkin is gone and he is frothing a bloody foam at the mouth. He is obviously out of it and just slashing wildly at the creatures. Then in round 7 he slumps to the ground. Mickey has fallen silent. Raagnar and Tristana arrive and join the battle. One of the remaining creatures lands on Chirri's body and begins to eat. Rio attacks it as do the others.

After the creatures are killed Rio immediately goes to Chirri and casts Cure Critical Wounds. Nothing happens. Chirri is dead. Tristana kneels by his body and casts a spell. She says that he has been 'drained' of life. Rio casts Detect Magic to examine the creatures. Now dead they are no longer magical. NEITHER IS CHIRRI. His body and possessions are not magical. Mickey is also dead.

We make a stone cairn for Chirri and Mickey and then continue on.

The rest of the day is uneventful and we reach the Griffin sometime after dark. It has been burned recently as there's still smoke drifting up from hot ashes. The upper story is mostly burned away as are some of the lower walls. Tristana is worried that Farl, the inn keeper and a friend, may have been harmed. We investigate. Farl, a large human, is slumped at a table dead. He has a small wound that does not seem to be severe enough to have killed him. Tristana casts speak with dead and learns that a patron attacked him and burned the inn. A man named Siric had a sword that drained him of his blood. Farl describes the man a tall, lanky, with sandy colored hair.

We find another body near the bottom of the stairs, several in fact. No survivors. None of the horses in the barn survived either. The groups clears out a place for palates. Rio on first watch. Raagnar second watch.

During second watch Raagnar goes out to investigate a crunching sound he heard. He is attacked by a group of ice trolls armed with long swords. He swings back and shouts to wake the rest of the group up. Everybody wakes up except the coach guard who has all those weapons. It takes a minute or so but we all join the battle.

MELEE

Rio casts Produce Flame and hits one of a new group that attacks us as we come out of the inn. We dispatch them without too much trouble. 12 total. After several rounds of battle the dead trolls get back up and resume fighting. Maybe this will take a bit longer than originally thought. The coach guard and driver do not join the fight so Rio yells for them to light a torch and begin burning the ones we knock down. They do not help. After the battle Tristana casts Produce Flame and catches some of the burned timbers on fire to completely dispatch the trolls. The rest of the evening passes uneventfully (a normal night with no unusual weather).

END SESSION - Start next time on the road to Waterdeep.

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