Journal of Rollo Lavius 2

Entry #219 - The Plane of Shadow

(G219 31/10/2014 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, Mira, Guru)

DAY 225 (22 Marpenoth)(October) cont ...

In the dusky gloom I could make out a boat leaving the jetty. No more than a dark blob in sea of even greater darkness. In what little light there was from our party I saw Mirabella leap onto the ship.

There was a man on the deck of the boat and he said

'Who sent you?'

'No one!' declared the halfling. She gulped though, when she saw a two headed dog sniffing at her.

I turned into an eagle and took to the air. Flying over the boat I could see the man was a shadar kai.

I had no idea what the dog was, but I could see four skeletons sat at the oars. Gurudor unsheathed his bow and fired at the shadar kai, one arrow zipping into the water and another finding its target.

I decided to go for a big spell to begin with and cast Flamestrike. I felt some sort of magical block on the spell, but with will power I struggled past the block and managed to cast. The blast injured the shadar kai and the dog and destroyed the skeletons.

I flew down to forty feet. The shadar kai tried to hide from me, but I could still see him. Sylvia had cast a Magical Weapon and a glowing shillelagh was pounding away at the poor hound.

Thinking that any other spell I cast that involved light would hit the magical 'barrier' (most likely a property of the Plane of Shadows itself) I opted for Magical Stone. But part of the spell requires that the stones are thrown. I'd rather forgotten I was currently an eagle!

In the spirit of research then I grasped them in my talons and threw. They fell in the water and pattered harmlessly on the deck.

The last stone hit the shadar though, although I doubt he hardly noticed it.

I landed on the boat, and noted that Gathan had climbed up the side. The boat had moved a few dozen feet from shore and he had swam across.

I turned back into a human and clumsily attacked. I dropped my sword, shield and backpack as I slipped on the deck so I merely kicked the shadar kai in the chest as he came at me.

As Gathan also attacked, the shadar kai struck him down and the lizardman collapsed in a bloody heap. As the combat continued Mirabella, who had jumped over the side a one point to get away from the hound, tried to make it back on board, but slipped and fell back into the water.

As the shadar kai went to finish off Gathan, I picked up my sword and attacked. My scimitar bit deeply into his flesh and he fell to the deck dead.

The magical weapon had killed the hound at the other end of the boat and pummelled it into a bloody heap of bones and fur. The fighting over, me and Mirabella rowed the boat back to shore. Mirabella whispered to me, 'Don't tell the others about me falling overboard!'

I nodded and smiled. Well, I won't tell the others, but I've noted it here!

Anyway, once Gurudor and Sylvia were on board we explored the cabin and looted the place. There was a chest that had treasure in it including a small dragon bone lyre and some sort of writing on a parchment no one could read although it included some musical notation.

After that we discussed our next move and during the lull in the excitement I took some soil, water and plant samples, putting them in my specimen jars.

Sylvia motioned to us that she had heard something though and we went over to the east where we found a caged lizardman. Once we'd established we were friendly we let him out. He didn't speak common but using me phrase book and Sylvia's Comprehend Language spell we established his name was Steersissk of the Sharptooth tribe.

After that it was decided to pop back through the portal. Mira had been cursed by the shadar kai during the combat, something that I'd not noticed so we waited until to wore off. While we waited she argued with Gurudor over something ... I'm not sure what as I was looking at my specimens, but they swapped a few sharp words.

Well, anyway, we went back through and looked to one of the doors to the north of the main chamber.

Once Mira had opened it Guru went in, but I noticed something. Something pretty nasty looking, big, with four arms.

As Guru went it in, it revealed itself and said,

'You are not supposed to be here! Good! I need fresh meat!'

With that he made a grab for Mira but she fended it off and the fight began. I cast Bear's Endurance on Gurudor and then started filling the place up with crocodiles.

The beast made another grab for Mira as everyone rushed in to the melee and picking her up it stuck her onto a meat hook that hung from the wall. Poor Mirabella! Although she writhed in pain from the spike in her back, because she is so very small, she was not going to die.

Sylvia moved round the creature to help and heal the poor halfling. The beast went for its next target and grabbed at Guru with two arms while it ripped and rended at him with the other two.

I continued with my tried and tested tactic of being a crocodile ring master and having summoned seven of the blighters sent them in to attack the beast, their jaws snapping and tails slapping.

Well, there isn't much that can stand against the attack of seven crocodiles and down it went, underneath a hail of blows. You could hardly see the thing for crocodiles.

The creature defeated then, we found a pair of wooden chests in the room which had some treasure in them.

The whole lot we took back into the Lost Refuge, or should I say 'Wisphaven' as Lavinia now wanted to call it.

Exhausted from all the fighting, we decided to call it a day for adventures into the Plane of Shadows.

Sylvia healed Gathan and he regained unconsiousness. Syvlia could currently understand his language as she'd cast a spell earlier to talk to Steersissk. Gathan seemed quite annimated when he was back on his feet and had a lot to say. When the others asked what he was ranting on about Syvlia said,

'Oh he's just happy to be here!'

She revealed to me later though it was more along the lines of,

'Why won't you smooth skinned idiots just let me die?'