The Party
Grash the Yewl, human ranger, played by Gary
Cyrus, human cleric (of Pelor), played by DJ
"Muskrat", human druid, played by Eric
Zheewiz, human magic-user, played by Mark
Sancho Banks, halfling fighter/thief, NPC
Gwindor, half-elf cleric (of Pelor)/fighter/magic-user, NPC
Edgar, human fighter, NPC (hireling)
Garth, human man-at-arms, NPC (hireling)
Several days after returning from an expedition to the dungeons of Greyhawk Castle, Zheewiz was approached by Mallacar, an individual claiming to be a wizard from the Mages' Guild in Greyhawk. Mallacar said that he heard that Zheewiz and his associates had been to the Greyhawk Dungeons, and he had a proposition for him. He explained that there might be more than one place to find some of Zagyg's treasure. Before Zagyg built his famous Castle, he lived in a mansion hidden in the hills north of town. Unlike the Castle, the existence and location of the mansion is not common knowledge. If Zheewiz would agree to let Mallacar have access to any scrolls or books he might find while exploring Zagyg's Dark Chateau, Mallacar would help finance the exploration, and give Zheewiz access to the resources of the Mages' Guild. After some discussion, Zheewiz agreed, and Mallacar fronted the party 175 GPs. Mallacar informed Zheewiz that he would have to be returning to Greyhawk, but that he would return to Yggsburgh whenever possible, and to look for him at the Outs Inn, and that if he wasn't there, to ask for his valet, Corbin.
Several days later, and the party was headed north on Menhir Hills Road on their way to the mansion. By the afternoon, they were travelling east on the Old Castle Track through the Little Hillwood. At dusk, they were still several miles away from the location of the Chateau. They decided to set up a camp site 30 or so yards off the road. They broke the watch into four shifts. The night passed without incident. After a quick breakfast they continued on, and soon found the overgrown cart path that lead to the Chateau. They hadn't traveled far when they heard some clatter coming from ahead. Grash went forward to investigate. In the woods not far from the road Grash spotted a small group of goblins that appeared to be setting up a camp. Grash crept back to inform the others. The party decided to try to sneak up and surprise the goblins, but the humanoids discovered them before everything was set. The goblins prepared to attack, but before any combat could occur, Muskrat cast an entangle spell, and the immobilized goblins were dispatched. A search of the humanoids and their camp turned up nothing more than a few copper and silver coins.
The party continued on the track, and soon they spotted the Chateau about 100 yards ahead in a grassy vale just to the south of a ridge line of hills. A low stone wall separated the cultivated area around the mansion from the surrounding wilderness. An iron gate once blocked progress from the path to the manse, but the gate was now thrown open. Grash noted many humanoid tracks passing through the gate in both directions. The party decided to circle the area outside the wall once first before entering. In the back (north) of the estate, another gate was discovered, and what appeared to be a riding path lead lead off into the hills. The rear gate was still intact and shut fast. Near the northwest corner, a breach in the wall was discovered, and more tracks leading in and out. The party decided to enter through the breach. The party followed a path that lead to the rear of the mansion. To the west the noted a stagnant pool and fens, to the east of the path were numerous posts with skulls and bones hanging from them. Beyond the posts were a number of dead trees. The party hurried past. They decided to circle the mansion once before entering. They discovered a stable with two small sheds near by close to the southeast corner of the manse. As they approached from the north, they detected some activity within. The occupants sensing their presence had been detected burst forth to attack. Three large orcs and a gang of goblins emerged from the stable. The orcs launched a volley of arrows while the goblins advanced to attack. Muskrat stated that he was going to cast his second entangle spell. Cyrus stood in front of him to provide cover. Edgar, Grash, and Cyrus all took arrow hits, Cyrus taking enough damage to go down. Next, the entangle spell took effect, and all the humanoids were caught, and dispatched. Gwindor hurried to Cyrus and cast a cure light wounds spell, reviving him. The party searched the bodies and stable. The only interesting discovery was a saddle that appeared to be in better than expected shape for having sat so long.
At this point the party was ready to enter the Chateau. They decided to try the back door. The door was open, and inside was a kitchen. Immediately, a small hoard of giant rats formed, emerging from the rubbish, shelves, cabinets, etc. Gwindor cast a sleep spell, and the remaining three were killed with no problem. A search of the area turned up an odd looking cleaver or axe that the party decided to hang on to. Another door, and an archway were present, The party opened the door, caught a whiff of something foul and closed it right away, and tried to block it with items in the kitchen. They then proceeded through the archway towards the center of the house. Immediately through the archway, to the left, was a narrow hallway and a door. The party decided to investigate the door. Listening revealed nothing. Through the door was a library. The magic-user was immediately interested. It appeared as if most of the books had been removed, but several remained on the shelves, and on a reading table. The party began to search. Zheewiz decided to look at the books on the table. As he approached, one floated up into the air and towards him. The party froze. The magic-user read the title page, "The Old Man in the Moon". The page turned. He felt a presence urging him to read more. He read a few pages. The pages described an eccentric old man that went to the moon. The party then noticed an indentation in a reading chair, making it appear as if someone were sitting in it. Zheewiz decided not to read any further, thinking it was a trap, and at some point he may be transported to the moon. He sensed disappointment. After a moment, Cyrus watched in horror as the book floated over to him. He continued reading. It took almost two hours to complete the story. It ended with the old man being cast back to Earth by those he enslaved on the moon. At the conclusion, Cyrus sensed gratitude, and a scroll appeared in the air and dropped to the floor. Grash put it in his pack without looking at it, he then suggested they take the rest of the books and get out of here. At that the library door slammed shut and a paperweight sitting on the table flew past his head. The party unanimously agreed to leave the books, and the door slowly swung open. The party exited and the door closed behind them. The party moved to the center of the house. They noted a circular flight of stairs up, a single door, and a double door. At the base of the steps was a small wooden box containing several wands. Upon picking them up, each one radiated a faint light. A brief exploration of the steps discovered a magical darkness at the top which the party decided not to investigate. They went to the double doors. Beyond the doors they noted what was once a large dining room. Grash entered while the rest of the party waited at the door. He went to a large pile of rubbish and debris in the center of the room and started poking around with his sword. Giant centipedes began swarming from the pile. Grash ran to the door with several centipedes crawling up his legs, and the rest in hot pursuit. The party slammed the door behind him, trapping most of the giant bugs inside. Zheewiz blasted one off his legs with a magic missile, and Grash killed the others without taking a bite. They decided to try the single door instead. Inside was a den/living room. On a desk they discovered a small, black tray, with a folded scrap of paper beneath it. The tray was divided into two sections, one side reading "LOCAL", the other, "OUT OF TOWN". Muskrat folded up a piece of paper and put it in the local side, Nothing happened. Zheewiz wrote himself a note, folded it, addressed it to himself at the Green Dragon Inn, and put in in the local side. Nothing happened. He put it in the out of town side. Nothing happened. "Maybe I'm not so smart after all", he said. They unfolded and read the scrap of paper beneath it, "Have G find that stamp before the move." "It needs the stamp to work", Grash guessed. The party decided to rest for the night before exploring either of the stairs. Before leaving, they gathered up the items they had collcted and Cyrus detected magic on everything. The saddle, the axe/cleaver, the wands, the black tray, and the scroll from the library all radiated magic. They packed it all up and headed off. They exited through the kitchen. They were planning on leaving, but decided to fall victim to "one more room syndrome" instead, in this case, it was one more shed that they hadn't explored earlier. The stopped at a shed behind the manse. Grash pulled the door open. A feral smell greeted him. In the darkness of the shed a giant weasel had made a nest. It leaped at the ranger. He stabbed at it as he backed out of the shed. His hit with his sword, but it didn't seem to notice, and sank its teeth in. Its jaw locked and it began sucking blood. The party won initiative the next round, Muskrat, Edgar, and grash all hit, and the beast died, but Grash had lost a lot of hit points. Rather than camp for the night and return in the morning as originally planned, the party decided to return to Yggsburgh. They were starting to feel they needed to upgrade their equipment, and with the coins gained from the goblins, and the gold made from selling the weasel pelt, they now could afford to do it.
End of session one.
Grash the Yewl, human ranger, played by Gary
Cyrus, human cleric (of Pelor), played by DJ
"Muskrat", human druid, played by Eric
Zheewiz, human magic-user, played by Mark
Sancho Banks, halfling fighter/thief, NPC
Gwindor, half-elf cleric (of Pelor)/fighter/magic-user, NPC
Edgar, human fighter, NPC (hireling)
Garth, human man-at-arms, NPC (hireling)
Several days after returning from an expedition to the dungeons of Greyhawk Castle, Zheewiz was approached by Mallacar, an individual claiming to be a wizard from the Mages' Guild in Greyhawk. Mallacar said that he heard that Zheewiz and his associates had been to the Greyhawk Dungeons, and he had a proposition for him. He explained that there might be more than one place to find some of Zagyg's treasure. Before Zagyg built his famous Castle, he lived in a mansion hidden in the hills north of town. Unlike the Castle, the existence and location of the mansion is not common knowledge. If Zheewiz would agree to let Mallacar have access to any scrolls or books he might find while exploring Zagyg's Dark Chateau, Mallacar would help finance the exploration, and give Zheewiz access to the resources of the Mages' Guild. After some discussion, Zheewiz agreed, and Mallacar fronted the party 175 GPs. Mallacar informed Zheewiz that he would have to be returning to Greyhawk, but that he would return to Yggsburgh whenever possible, and to look for him at the Outs Inn, and that if he wasn't there, to ask for his valet, Corbin.
Several days later, and the party was headed north on Menhir Hills Road on their way to the mansion. By the afternoon, they were travelling east on the Old Castle Track through the Little Hillwood. At dusk, they were still several miles away from the location of the Chateau. They decided to set up a camp site 30 or so yards off the road. They broke the watch into four shifts. The night passed without incident. After a quick breakfast they continued on, and soon found the overgrown cart path that lead to the Chateau. They hadn't traveled far when they heard some clatter coming from ahead. Grash went forward to investigate. In the woods not far from the road Grash spotted a small group of goblins that appeared to be setting up a camp. Grash crept back to inform the others. The party decided to try to sneak up and surprise the goblins, but the humanoids discovered them before everything was set. The goblins prepared to attack, but before any combat could occur, Muskrat cast an entangle spell, and the immobilized goblins were dispatched. A search of the humanoids and their camp turned up nothing more than a few copper and silver coins.
The party continued on the track, and soon they spotted the Chateau about 100 yards ahead in a grassy vale just to the south of a ridge line of hills. A low stone wall separated the cultivated area around the mansion from the surrounding wilderness. An iron gate once blocked progress from the path to the manse, but the gate was now thrown open. Grash noted many humanoid tracks passing through the gate in both directions. The party decided to circle the area outside the wall once first before entering. In the back (north) of the estate, another gate was discovered, and what appeared to be a riding path lead lead off into the hills. The rear gate was still intact and shut fast. Near the northwest corner, a breach in the wall was discovered, and more tracks leading in and out. The party decided to enter through the breach. The party followed a path that lead to the rear of the mansion. To the west the noted a stagnant pool and fens, to the east of the path were numerous posts with skulls and bones hanging from them. Beyond the posts were a number of dead trees. The party hurried past. They decided to circle the mansion once before entering. They discovered a stable with two small sheds near by close to the southeast corner of the manse. As they approached from the north, they detected some activity within. The occupants sensing their presence had been detected burst forth to attack. Three large orcs and a gang of goblins emerged from the stable. The orcs launched a volley of arrows while the goblins advanced to attack. Muskrat stated that he was going to cast his second entangle spell. Cyrus stood in front of him to provide cover. Edgar, Grash, and Cyrus all took arrow hits, Cyrus taking enough damage to go down. Next, the entangle spell took effect, and all the humanoids were caught, and dispatched. Gwindor hurried to Cyrus and cast a cure light wounds spell, reviving him. The party searched the bodies and stable. The only interesting discovery was a saddle that appeared to be in better than expected shape for having sat so long.
At this point the party was ready to enter the Chateau. They decided to try the back door. The door was open, and inside was a kitchen. Immediately, a small hoard of giant rats formed, emerging from the rubbish, shelves, cabinets, etc. Gwindor cast a sleep spell, and the remaining three were killed with no problem. A search of the area turned up an odd looking cleaver or axe that the party decided to hang on to. Another door, and an archway were present, The party opened the door, caught a whiff of something foul and closed it right away, and tried to block it with items in the kitchen. They then proceeded through the archway towards the center of the house. Immediately through the archway, to the left, was a narrow hallway and a door. The party decided to investigate the door. Listening revealed nothing. Through the door was a library. The magic-user was immediately interested. It appeared as if most of the books had been removed, but several remained on the shelves, and on a reading table. The party began to search. Zheewiz decided to look at the books on the table. As he approached, one floated up into the air and towards him. The party froze. The magic-user read the title page, "The Old Man in the Moon". The page turned. He felt a presence urging him to read more. He read a few pages. The pages described an eccentric old man that went to the moon. The party then noticed an indentation in a reading chair, making it appear as if someone were sitting in it. Zheewiz decided not to read any further, thinking it was a trap, and at some point he may be transported to the moon. He sensed disappointment. After a moment, Cyrus watched in horror as the book floated over to him. He continued reading. It took almost two hours to complete the story. It ended with the old man being cast back to Earth by those he enslaved on the moon. At the conclusion, Cyrus sensed gratitude, and a scroll appeared in the air and dropped to the floor. Grash put it in his pack without looking at it, he then suggested they take the rest of the books and get out of here. At that the library door slammed shut and a paperweight sitting on the table flew past his head. The party unanimously agreed to leave the books, and the door slowly swung open. The party exited and the door closed behind them. The party moved to the center of the house. They noted a circular flight of stairs up, a single door, and a double door. At the base of the steps was a small wooden box containing several wands. Upon picking them up, each one radiated a faint light. A brief exploration of the steps discovered a magical darkness at the top which the party decided not to investigate. They went to the double doors. Beyond the doors they noted what was once a large dining room. Grash entered while the rest of the party waited at the door. He went to a large pile of rubbish and debris in the center of the room and started poking around with his sword. Giant centipedes began swarming from the pile. Grash ran to the door with several centipedes crawling up his legs, and the rest in hot pursuit. The party slammed the door behind him, trapping most of the giant bugs inside. Zheewiz blasted one off his legs with a magic missile, and Grash killed the others without taking a bite. They decided to try the single door instead. Inside was a den/living room. On a desk they discovered a small, black tray, with a folded scrap of paper beneath it. The tray was divided into two sections, one side reading "LOCAL", the other, "OUT OF TOWN". Muskrat folded up a piece of paper and put it in the local side, Nothing happened. Zheewiz wrote himself a note, folded it, addressed it to himself at the Green Dragon Inn, and put in in the local side. Nothing happened. He put it in the out of town side. Nothing happened. "Maybe I'm not so smart after all", he said. They unfolded and read the scrap of paper beneath it, "Have G find that stamp before the move." "It needs the stamp to work", Grash guessed. The party decided to rest for the night before exploring either of the stairs. Before leaving, they gathered up the items they had collcted and Cyrus detected magic on everything. The saddle, the axe/cleaver, the wands, the black tray, and the scroll from the library all radiated magic. They packed it all up and headed off. They exited through the kitchen. They were planning on leaving, but decided to fall victim to "one more room syndrome" instead, in this case, it was one more shed that they hadn't explored earlier. The stopped at a shed behind the manse. Grash pulled the door open. A feral smell greeted him. In the darkness of the shed a giant weasel had made a nest. It leaped at the ranger. He stabbed at it as he backed out of the shed. His hit with his sword, but it didn't seem to notice, and sank its teeth in. Its jaw locked and it began sucking blood. The party won initiative the next round, Muskrat, Edgar, and grash all hit, and the beast died, but Grash had lost a lot of hit points. Rather than camp for the night and return in the morning as originally planned, the party decided to return to Yggsburgh. They were starting to feel they needed to upgrade their equipment, and with the coins gained from the goblins, and the gold made from selling the weasel pelt, they now could afford to do it.
End of session one.
