Date: 6/28/98

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

Characters: Rio & Glow, DM, Saunders, A'tora, Vorn, Caland, Erin & Giblet

Pick up back in town of Dultan waiting for Rio's 2nd messenger bird to return with information regarding the location of the group we believe has set up an ambush for us.

As Rio waits on the porch of the tavern Erin hands him the scroll case that he found at The Horns along with his new sword. He examines the scroll case, since it's didn't radiate evil, he opens it cautiously. The ancient parchment is a single scroll that contains 2 Raise Dead spells. He cautiously replaces it back in the case and stores it carefully in his pack.

The townsfolk have set up a watch fire and promise to set up color coded smoke to alert the town as to the size of any group to approach from the west.

As Rio waits a large group of townsfolk come around and is asking questions like "What should we do ?" and "What is happening ?" and "What is the deal with the shopkeeper ?"

Rio and Erin answer as best they can and try to aleviate their fears. The townsfolk agree that the women and children will seek protection in the basement of the horse-tamers in the event of attack.

We decide that Giblet will remain behind while the rest of us try to spring the ambush with an illusion and then ambush them in their confusion.

After an hour or so the bird still has not returned so we decide to set out in pursuit. Rio becomes a large wolf (a species native to the area) and ranges out ahead pausing every 10 minutes or so to sniff the air and look up through the trees. He comes to a spot where there is the body of a dead unicorn carefully arranged in the road as if it supposed to be found. In wolf form he makes a show of eating some and then pretends to be spooked and runs off back towards the group. When he returns to the others he lets them know what's going on and we immediatly begin starting our ambush. Rio casts Detect Evil and and Detect Snares and Pits and is then made Invisible by Caland. He then sets out quietly to investigate. Traveling back to the top of the hill he looks down the road to where he can see the body of the unicorn.

He then makes a large circle around the body at a distance of about 50 yards looking carefully up in the tress and at the trees for anything unusual. He still sees nothing and detects no evil nor any snare or pit. He then cautiously advances from the forest to the body and examines it without touching it.

When he sees the illusionary party approaching he quicky withdraws back into the forest. When the illusionary group get to the Unicorn body nothing happens. Seeing this Rio advances further down the road perhaps 1/4 mile and sees ahead in the distance a dilapidated watch tower. On further focused investigation he is able to discern that the entire area around it is actually Illusionary Terrain so he returns to tell the rest of the group. A'tora, being the first he encounters, nods and begins to advance the illusionary group forward. When they get halfway into the illusionary terrain they are ambushed by a hail of crossbow bolts. A'tora has the group retreat but as they do a horde of these ambushers rush out to the trail to attack.

MELEE

Rio begins casting Hold Person but before it goes off a Fireball explodes in their midst decimating them all except the leader. His Hold Person goes off next round and the Druid successfully holds the leader Gordeirn who is promptly tied up and removed of all his items.

Vorn has successfully cast Charm Person on one of the ones who were held in his Entangle and begins to get a good deal of information.

Rio works ceaselessly to put out the fire started by the fireball. When the Entangle spells fade two of the enemy grab A'tora and are threatining to kill her. Rio sees this and walks up to them reminding them that they really have no bargaining position considering the odds against them. Fortunatly they see the logic in this and let A'tora go.

There is considerable discussion as to what to do with these held and/or charmed. The two who attacked A'tora have fled and the others are somewhat confused as to what to do. One, who was Charmed by A'tora, is now happily serving as her bodyguard. The decision is finally made to let the rest go. They are given a note which says they've changed their ways and sent back to town.

Gordeirn is tied up. He is questioned and after proving his evilness and unwillingness to reveal any information Rio casts Insect Plague and leaves him at the center. Surprisingly he is still alive after the plague dissapates. Rio bends down over him and as he slowly opens his swollen eyes the druid casts Cause Serious Wounds and puts him out of his misery.

Since it's now late in the day we decide to camp for the evening and attack the ruined compound in the morning. The night passes uneventfully.

In the morning we come to and descend into the ruins. Rio casts Protection From Evil and then Bless. We let Kedet (A'tora's charmed bodyguard) lead Rio and Erin around to the back and the hidden escape tunnel that they might try to use. Rio changes form to that of a large wolf and goes to investigate. He gets to the entrance, which is unguarded, and determines that there's nobody around and that some have actually left within the last 12 hours. He returns to Kedet and Erin and leads them to the opening. Before entering he stops and looks in both directions as if to let Erin know he's discovered something. Erin looks around but is unable to determine anything.

Rio then heads in letting his keen canine nose lead him. They come perhaps 80 feet to the end of a stone corridor. Kedet announces that there's a secret knock and uses it. Upon completion a portion of the wall slides away. When we notice the person opening it is the Priest that fled from the large battle Rio bites him on the back of the ankle and Vorn attacks with his sword.

He yells for us to halt saying he is unarmed. We don't attack him again and he says that he has lost all of his Priestly abilities and is no longer a danger to us. He informs us that the Dark Druid is getting ready to attack the Earthmother and the Great Druid at the Sacred Grove of the EarthMother. He also says that the Dark Druid would not come to this location because of whats down the vertical shaft in the corner.

We move the flagstones in the corner where he indicates and discover a shaft heading straight down. Rio is torn between leaving right then to alert the EarthMother and investigating the tunnel. We decide that if the evil druid won't go down there then their might be something there that we could use against him.

Led by Rio the group descends the shaft roughly 80 feet and come to a large rectangular room that has a large door at the opposite end. Along the side walls are 28 large caskets. Rio, sensing that this is a holy place, says that we should not touch anything. Of course Giblet immediatly goes up to the large door and opens it. There is a large gong and a crashing sound from within. At that instant one of the caskets opens and a large wight pops out weilding a scepter. It attacks.

MELEE

Fortunatly the battle is fairly short with only Vorn taking a hit and losing the associated level. When it was killed the scepter fell to the floor to be retrieved by Rio for later examination. Now that the large door at the end of the room is open several of the party members go in to investigate. The emerge with a magic item of some type that's in the shape of a letter C. Erin claims that it's a yoke of some type. Rio ignores them and returns to the ladder for the ascent back to the upper level of the ruins. Once there he discovers that the Priest has taken a backpack, some rations and fled.

END SESSION