Journal of Rollo Lavius 1

Entry #188 - Into the Refuge at last!

(G188 08/02/2014 Sat via Roll20 - JF, AP(GM))

[Incidentally, DAY 150 of Corum's game was DAY 330 of Rollo's game, making the offset 180. So today (DAY 214) is 214+180=394 for Rollo.]

DAY 214 (11 Marpenoth)(October) ...

Today is my birthday! Everyone has forgotten though. Or never knew it. I think Lavinia has lost track of what day it is. Never mind, we are rather busy after all.

I've had two birthday's since my first step into Sassarine. The first day that this 'adventure diary' was started. I was 21 when that started, but today I am 23.

Getting old!

I'd lost track as well to be honest, but as I flew about as an eagle watching the wisps I suddenly remembered. Oh yes, I thought, today is my birthday. I watched as the three wisps lured and then killed a rabbit before consuming it somehow.

Thinking this was about all I would learn from them I then flew back to the others.

After lunch, we talked some more about what to do next and agreed that we were in no rush and could afford to wait for new spells. We set up the camp again in our nice little shaded nook and spent the night under the stars again.

DAY 215 (12 Marpenoth)(October)

This morning we tried to take on the wisp with me using a summoned swarm of bats to give it bleeding injuries that would hopefully kill it.

The plan went well enough, we lured it to attack us, then while Shump fended it off I summoned the swarm. Once it was engulfed we retreated and Sylvia healed our wounds.

I went back later but the infuriating thing was still alive. Either it can heal itself somehow or the swarm had had no effect.

We decided to wait until the crack of dawn the next day and try a different approach.

DAY 216 (13 Marpenoth)(October

From the west this time, I made a hole in the wall and we all quietly entered the courtyard.

There was a door in the west wall of the keep and I went and knocked on it, which made a dog howl inside and seemed to stir things up a bit.

We then went through the door in the north wall which led to another overgrown yard.

The north east side of the keep had a big hole in the wall and we cautiously looked inside.

A sudden howl struck terror into Shump, Lavinia, Sylvia and Badger who all ran off as fast as they could back out of the hole and into the swamp.

A chain thing hit Lavinia but thankfully she was still able to keep on running. Jiggles shot at the dog that was the source of the howl and I cast flame strike into the darkness of the tower. The light illuminated all manner of evil looking creatures within.

Jiggles was then hit by something that paralyzed her. I was too, but I managed to shake off the effects enough to pick her up and flee after the others.

Once we'd chased down the others and regrouped in the swamp we headed back in. I was shaking though as it could have very easily been the end for me and Jiggles. Paralyzed we would have been at their mercy.

Composing myself we began the assault again. I sent in two flame elementals to scout the room. One was struck by a spiked chain from behind the wall and then a lizard man lent down

from the spiral staircase in the centre of the room and shot at Jiggles with a crossbow.

Everyone came out and I cast an ice storm spell which ended the chain creatures and the two lizardmen on the stairs.

Now with the advantage we headed up the stairs and were met with the hideous sight of a massive crocodile-man creature waiting to fight us. I noticed that there were also lizardmen chained to the wall. It's next meal perhaps.

Shump bravely stepped up to meet the thing in combat and Sylvia cast Searing Light which seemed to injure it a bit. The thing was incredibly strong and for a while I thought we might be in trouble but working as a team we defeated it. Shump held it off, Jiggles snuck around the back and stabbed it in its tender bits while I cast lightning bolts at it. Sylvia kept us all healed and even Badger managed to get a hold of its ankle.

Only Lavinia had nothing to do as her arrows just bounced off it. I think she needs another role in the group, but I can't think what. She is brilliant at talking to people and impressing them but not so good in this sort of desperate, nasty struggle.

Shump went into a berserker raged and half a minute later it was all over.

We freed the chained up lizardmen and discovered that two of them were the chief that K had talked about and his mate. Through gestures we sent them all away to safety in the swamp except the chief who seemed to want to stay and slay any more enemies that we could find.