Date: 6/1/97

Players: JC, Kathy, Tom, Davy, Trish, Kris, Jeff, Bryan, David

Characters: Rio & Glow, DM, Beneton, Kailen, Shalmara, Bo'malus, Saunders & Fifi, Erin, Merlor

It is the end of the first watch. Rio and Glow are sleeping near the fire while the rest of the group occupies either their own or a community tent. All of a sudden they are awoken by the combination of Saunders yelling and Fifi's barking. Sitting up they both look around and see a large multi-eyed creature (a beholder) floating up the path toward the campsite. Rio looks into its large central eye and is struck dumb. Glow grabs her husbands arm asking what it is but sees only a blank, stupid look on his face.

"RIO!!" she screams at him but there is no response. Seeing that the others who are awake are making ready to attack this thing Glow begins Molecular Agitation, trying to boil the large center eye. Unfortunately she is immediately thereafter struck by a beam of light from one of the creatures side-eyes and is paralyzed causing her concentration to break and the Molecular Agitation to be lost.

MELEE

Beneton finally kills it with a large lightning bolt. Assessing the damage the group notices that Glow is paralyzed and Saunders is able to dispel the effect. Glow tries her Complete Healing ability to restore Rio but it only succeeds in curing his physical wounds. She tells the others that Rio never moved after seeing the beholder.

Wringing her hands with worry, Glow decides that rather than burden them with an enfeebled druid, she will contact Estarria for help. When she is finally able to contact the lady dragon Estarria promises to come and return them to Waterdeep for healing. After the sending is complete she lets the rest of the group know and then retires for what little sleep she can get. Rio babbles occasionally but otherwise has been reduced to a complete vegetable.

The rest of the night passes uneventfully and Rio and Glow remain behind to wait for Estarria while the rest of the group sets off after breakfast. Later that morning Estarria shows up in dragon form and flies the two back to Waterdeep. Once there she arranges for a cleric to come to heal Rio but Glow asks that she send for her grandmother, the Great Druid, instead.

When her grandmother arrives Glow embraces her warmly and offers any help during the healing that she can offer. When the spell is complete the focus returns to Rio's eyes and he looks around wondering where he is and what has happened. Glow explains the situation and the druid shakes his head is disbelief. When Estarria returns them to their original departure point they spend the rest of the day catching up to the rest of the group. That night Rio and Glow sleep in a large tree as owl and squirrel.

It is early during the 3rd watch when a group of werewolves attack. Rio wakes easily and he quickly assesses the situation with his keen owl eyes. Then he swoops down, landing behind one of them, and returns to human form. He attacks.

MELEE

Glow remains as a squirrel and watches intently waiting to see if anyone in particular needs help. Then, seeing that the battle will not be quickly over, she makes sure that the branch she is on will support her human weight and, after transforming, begins Molecular Agitation on one that hasn't yet attacked anyone. The battle is finally won and Rio goes among the horses reviving any that can be healed or saved. Then he casts Cure Serious Wounds on Merlor who has been badly wounded. Sadly Fifi has been lost.

Day dawns and it's COLD. Below freezing. Rio gives the Ring of Warmth to Glow so she can stay warm and then becomes a large black bear complete with heavy fur coat and layer of fat for insulation. He wanders ahead of the group scouting and by early evening spots an unusual waterfall that arches magically over the road. He plunks down and waits for the others who soon catch up. They all pass through and soon after come to an owl-bear shaped boulder behind which is a mining cave type entrance leading into South Crypt. We set a double file marching order and proceed in with horses in tow. Glow has her Continual Light Topaz out and she and Rio take positions at the end of the marching order.

Rio pauses, sniffing the air and picks up an dank, musty and moldy smell. They continue and come to a old broken doorway. Bo' goes in to investigate and disturbs a giant spider which leaps up and bites him. He and Shalmara kill it quickly. Seeing that this room has only one entrance and there don't seem to be anymore giant spiders, we decide to corral the horses here and block it off with an old push-cart before continuing inward. We travel inward investigating as we go and after some minutes come to a large cavern that has a small stream running through it. There is a green moss that honks when disturbed. Finding nothing else of interest we continue and eventually come to a point where a strange dry mist is thick within the corridor. It is a fog of enfeeblement and the first three people in line are subject to it's strength-sapping effects. Then from behind we are attacked by a large group of undead. Rio, last in the marching order, hears them coming and turns, roaring at the top of his lungs. He charges, closing the few feet separating them quickly, and attacks the first in line.

MELEE

Rio continues to attack taking them down claw by claw, one by one, round by round, in the narrow passageway. Kailen begins to blink among them attacking as he can. Rio makes it through ten of the werewolves before coming to where Kailen is currently engaged and the druid forced to stop advancing. Kailen and Erin (who vaulted over Rio to land among the creatures) are able to finish the remaining off fairly quickly. By now those that were affected by the enfeeblement gas are back to normal. Rio returns to human form (gaining back 50% of his lost hit points) and goes to where Erin has collapsed in the corridor after his berserk rage. The barbarian is back on his feet after only a few minutes and we regroup, resting a moment before continuing on.

END OF SESSION