WH7 The Fountain of Life

My experiments continue. Only two players of the regular group could make it this weekend. So I've decided to include another adventure into the current UK2 The Sentinel module. The adventure is called Fountain of Life and was originally published in the RPG magazine "Tortured Souls". I am using the German translation that appeared in ZauberZeit #8.

Note: Still using the complete PHB and the D&D Basic for DMs V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Grandor, male mountain dwarf cleric (acolyte)
• Orell Underhill, male stout halfling rogue (spy)

After helping Khelben and company to investigate the standing stones Dancing Dew Maidens, Grandor is sent south to Wolfsdale to find out if Mab, Bruenor and Orell need help in dealing with the troubles at Wolfsdale. After a week of uneventful travelling, Grandor arrives at the village. He is pointed to the inn where Mab and Orell are staying. Mab introduces Grandor to Orell and tells him that Bruenor has taken their drow "prisoner" to Lakehaven to a magistrate located there to get her official papers.

Orell and Grandor go around shopping a bit, but the stores don't really have what they require. Then they see a young man, a blacksmith coming into town carrying a dead man in his arms. The blacksmith is called Travultar and the dead young man is Pugnam. He was bitten to death and a javelin was found at his side. Grandor recognizes the javelin as lizardfolk-made. Also, the bite marks point in the same direction.

Papa Kursk, the village elder, suggests that Grandor and Orell could ask a friendly young lizardman called Tsziktezz for aid in tracking down the lizardmen responsible. Tsiktezz lives in a small valley at the edge of the Mountains of Mist (yeah... I was very Tolkien inspired back in my youth when I came up with names). Papa Kursk tells them that Tsziktezz lives at the Fountain of Life. Grandor and Orell decide to accept the mission in return for a modest payment of 25 gold pieces.

Before leaving the village of Wolfsdale, Orell shows Grandor the strange inscription in blood that they found earlier. Grandor is able to translate the draconic writing. It seems to be a rather mysterious plea for aid, warning of a great evil stirring.

As they prepare to finally leave for the half-day journey to the Fountain of Life, Travultar approaches them and tells them about his brother Trackak. He went missing some three weeks ago. He wears a necklace made of crystals similar to the one Travular wears on his dark haired chest. If they can return his brother alive, he promises them 200 gold pieces. If they can return the crystal necklace to him as proof of his brother's death, he'll still award them 100 gold pieces.

After half a day of travelling into the mountains, Grandor and Orell reach the temple of the Fountain of Life. As they enter the seemingly abandoned caves, they disturb a swarm of bats. After chasing them off, they proceed deeper into the caves. They don't find much of value, and turn back as they encounter a stone guardian on a bridge. Then, Grandor decides to cast locate object in order to find the necklace (good thinking on part of the player). That leads them back to a T-junction covered with wooden planks. As the halfling and the dwarf stand together on the planks, they break through into a watery hole. The oil lamp of Ordell is extinguished as it plunges into the water. Suddenly, only Grandor is able to see anything. They are in 5 feet deep water (pity that dwarfs and halflings are less than 5 feet tall...). Grandor feels that the necklace is near. He dives into the water and retrieves it, while being attacked by a poisonous water snake that has taken up residence in a skeleton. Grandor defeats the snake, then emerges from the water again. He dives back down to retrieve his shield and Orell's lamp. Then he guides the halfling to the eastern ladder. They climb up. But just as Orell reaches the top of the ladder, it basically disintegrates below him and dwarf and halfling fall back into the cold water. They finally get out of the pit by climbing the western ladder. Only real problem: the collapsed T-junction blocks them from the exit of the caves...

They approach the stone guardian. It asks them what they want. They reply that they want to see Tsziktezz. The guardian steps aside and lets them pass. Behind the room with the guardian, stairs lead down to another level of the abandoned temple.

On the second level, they enter a dining room. A loud gong sounds. Food appears on the table and two goblins run out of an adjacent room. The party parleys (that's sensible little folk for you). The goblins want some money, then tell them that they don't know anything about Tsziktezz and let them continue exploring the temple in peace.

In the next room Grandor and Orell find Tsziktezz waiting for them on a marble throne on a platform across water. They talk a bit. He isn't really interested in helping them, but allows them to visit the Fountain of Life. The halfling and the dwarf take him up on the offer.

While investigating the alleged healing properties of the fountain (water gushing out of a solidly golden lizard head), first Orell and then Grandor is sucked into an underground river. Both quickly lose their senses and start drowning...

Both of them awaken at the banks of a small brook, where they have been deposited by the river. It is dark and they decide to take a long rest (being both at 1 hp). On the next morning, they try to find the Temple of the Fountain again, but become hopelessly lost in the mountains. They make camp in the mountains and on the next day walk down into the Weathered Heath again, arriving at the mines of Wolfsdale in the evening. After sleeping at the mining outpost, they are pointed back to the village.

Since Orell lost his equipment in the temple, including a valuable healing potion, they decide to go back to reclaim the equipment. Also they want to talk to Tsziktezz again and get him to help the villagers. But before they leave again, Grandor takes the crystal necklace to Travultar. He is dismayed at the death of his brother, but pays them 100 gold pieces as promised. Orell uses the money to buy some gear.  Grandor meanwhile wonders how Travultar's brother ended up dead in the temple. Something else to talk with Tsziktezz about.

On their way back, they meet a monk called Urquant from the Order of the Grey Cowl. He asks them for help. He was visiting the hermitage of a fellow member of his order, but on arriving he found the brother hanged in a tree and was attacked by two gargoyles. He fled into the wilderness and now seeks help to reclaim the treatises on philosophy the hermit was writing. Orell and Grandor promise to help. In return they may keep all the valuables except the books.

The three make camp. The next day, Grandor changes his line-up of spells and together with Orell comes up with a plan for attacking the gargoyles. First they approach the cave, then Grandor fires a guiding bolt at one gargoyle. Orell shoots that one with a bolt from his crossbow. Then the gargoyles are upon them. Grandor summons a spiritual hammer, then swallows the moonstone containing the blessing of Elissar (god of dreams, wolves and hope). The moonstone dissolves into a salty liquid and the two are blessed. Orell valiantly continues to attack the Gargoyles. Grandor uses all the healing power at his disposal to keep the fight going. Then Orell goes down, Urquant recues him and gives him a healing potion. Meanwhile Grandor falls under the attacks of the last gargoyle. But Orell gets up, and swings on the branches of a tree until he can fall from above on the gargoyle. He finishes it off! The day is saved, The group retreats into the woods around the hermitage and takes a good long rest.

On the next day, the trio investigates the devastated hermitage in the cave. Orell and Grandor find the treasure of the gargoyles and Urquant true to his word allows them to keep it. The actual library is guarded by witherweed. But Grandor manages to find a way around the choking plants. Inside the library, Urquant takes the eight books on philosophy written by the dead hermit into his possession, but allows Orell and Grandor to keep a curious blue book that isn't part of the collection.

Grandor studies the book. Apparently, it's the lineage and chronicle of the Arthog family. The head of the family was responsible for guarding a mountain fortress called Adlerweg. When the last guardian returned from Adlerweg, he brought a curious magic item with him that is called The Sentinel in the text, but isn't described at all. Then the family line faltered with Henryk von Arthog who squandered the family fortune and had to abandon the lakeside villa inhabited by his family. Maybe that's the same lakeside villa that Mab, Bruenor, Chasna and Orell heard about some days ago at the half-orc camp.

Anyway, Orell and Grandor split from Urquant who is really grateful for their help and continue on to the Temple of the Fountain. There, they cleverly use a rope and grabbling hook to bridge the T-junction and talk to Tsziktezz again. Still, the young lizardman isn't moved by the plight of the villagers. But as it turns out, he knows about the goblins in the temple who apparently work as guards for him. Also, he set up the stone guardian on the first level. But unable to get to the bottom of the story, Grandor and Orell leave and return to Wolfsdale,

To be continued...

TJ5 Sometimes Even a Dragon Requires Help... Part 1

My experiment in using modules for older D&D versions continues. This time an adventure module from the old German RPG magazine ZauberZeit #2 (Auch ein Drache braucht mal Hilfe). I've DMed this adventure several times already, once with the D&D Rules Cyclopedia and twice with Tunnels & Trolls.

Notes: The full Player's Handbook is used together with monsters from D&D Basic for DMs V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Aethelric, male half-elf warlock (criminal/spy)
• Bangrimm, male hill dwarf cleric (acolyte)
• Bjarne, male human fighter (soldier)

On his travels from Rakurstada to Knuivigi, Bangrimm meets two other adventurers: Aethelric and Bjarne. Together they continue their travels to find safety in numbers this close to the Weathered Heath. In the evening, they arrive at Knuivigi and decide to rest at the Dancing Boar Inn. The locals tell them about a sighting of five dragons near the ruins of Castle Raven's Aerie. The next day, the three adventurers leave for the castle.

As they arrive at the castle, they don't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Just a ruined castle standing seemingly abandoned on the Weathered Heath. Cautiously they investigate first the outer, then the inner courtyard. As Bjarne moves into the inner courtyard, he is attacked by a vicious brown bear and heavily wounded. During the battle, Aethelric discovers a sleeping green dragon resting in the adjacent courtyard.

After defeating the black bear, the three try to leave before the green dragon notices them. But they are unsuccessful. Aethelric withdraws into the outer courtyard, but Bangrimm and Bjarne are detained by the green dragon. Reluctantly Aethelric moves back in. The dragon explains that he needs heroes to investigate a crypt. He is too big to fit inside, and the first party he sent in failed to return. The green dragon is looking for the Scepter of Yragael, a warlord who lies buried in the crypt. He points them to three healing potions and then herds them down into the crypt. Besides the entrance to the crypt, a temple to Celos, god of the sun and wisdom, sits in the smaller courtyard and adjacent to it lies a small graveyard.

The adventurers enter the crypt cautiously. The find a big entrance hall, where three doors lead deeper into the crypt. Each door guarded by two skeletons. After a short discussion, Aethelric attacks one skeleton with an eldritch blast. All six skeletons start moving and attacking the adventurers. A pitched battled ensues. The tide only starts to turn when Bjarne goes from a purely defensive stance to the offense.

After the battle the group investigates the door to the left and find an old chest containing two jewels. Aethelric investigates one wall and finds two indentions. They put the jewels there and find a hidden room. There, they are attacked by two giant centipedes. After defeating them, they find some more treasures.

Then they listen at the door to the right and hear squabbling squeaky voices. Entering the room, they see eight kobolds engaged in a heated discussion. Another battle is quickly finished, when Aethelric casts shatter in to the room. They find nothing of value and decide to take a short rest before proceeding into the dungeon.

As they continue their explorations, Aethelric discovers a suit of armor that animates as he tries to retreat. As reward for defeating the animated armor, Bjarne takes the jeweled greatsword that the armor was wielding.

Then they arrive at a staircase that leads down into the lower levels and a big double door that leads into a further room. There they discover a strange dimensional door that deposits them right outside the courtyard again. The green dragon ushers them down into the crypt again, as they tell him that they don't have the scepter yet.

The staircase down to the next level is filled with cobwebs. They proceed through the cobwebs and reach a room with a fountain. The fountain bears a small inscription: "Drink and forget all your sorrows forever." Somehow the party doesn't want to be relieved of all their sorrows and continues onward.

Bangrimm falls into a trap where he's attacked by a giant poisonous snake. Aethelric prevents the trapdoor from closing, and Bjarne rescues Bangrimm from the snake. His dwarven resistance to poison definitely helps him survive the attack. While in the pit, he has spied two scroll cases stuck in a skeleton, but didn't manage to grab them.

The group presses on into a large room where a bronze double door leads onwards. First, the decide to take another short rest. Then they try to pry the door open. It is stuck, and won't move. Aethelric has an idea: they use torches to heat the metal and then cool it rapidly with water from the fountain, thus turning the bronze brittle. After that they successfully force the door open.

Behind the door, a corridor filled with spider webs stretches into the dark. They decide to be more careful this time and burn down the webs. Out of the burning corridor they are attacked by two burning giant spiders.

After defeating the spiders, they decide to take a long rest.

To be continued...

WH6 Trouble in Wolfsdale

The adventure from last Saturday is a bit of an experiment. I am using UK2 The Sentinel as the basis (replacing some of the weirder creatures with currently available counterparts) and not caring much about encounter balancing. So far it works great. Also, I want to see if an "adventure path" survives the changing player roster of my campaign.

Notes: The full Player's Handbook is used together with monsters from the Hoard of the Dragon Queen web supplement and D&D Basic for the DM V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Bruenor "Bonebreaker", male mountain dwarf fighter (soldier)
• Chazna Faertala, female drow druid (noble/hermit)
• Mab "Steelfist", female human fighter (soldier)
• Orell Underhill, male stout halfling rogue (spy)

Bruenor, Mab and Orell are still at Miller's Crossing, celebrating and relaxing at the Sleeping Mermaid Inn. At another table we have short cameos by Khelben, Valrian, Sh'razzar and Grandor. Then, Orell spies something unusual outside a window: a hooded shape with burning red eyes. The four heroes dash outside to see a fleeing person that heads toward the sacred grove. Had the person headed into any other direction, they probably would have let them go. But this just looks suspicious. Upon reaching the grove, the person tries to climb a tree but falls down and is finally caught by Mab who handily outdistanced the dwarf and the halfling during the pursuit.

The person turns out to be Chazna, a drow druid from the underdark on the run from mysterious forces who murdered her mentor and stole her circle of standing stones (see a pattern here?). The heroes march her back to the inn in order to interrogate her in a rather friendly manner. Kellion is at first a bit suspicious of the drow, but later relents. Chazna appears to be rather innocent in comparison to the vile legends about her kin. Mab decides to arrest her at the inn and see what they can do about her the next day.

On the next day, a village elder from the south arrives at Miller's Crossing. He is from Wolfsdale and reports about trouble at the village. Some has been murdering farm animals, babies and the elderly. He heard that Captain Khelben of the Dragon Guard is at Miller's Crossing and hopes for help. Khelben and company is already gone though, investigating a stone circle across Lake Crescent. But Mab promises to help. They decide to take Chazna with them, because they can't really leave her in Miller's Crossing all by herself. After all, she might be a spy - something that at least Orell suspects.

After a week of travel across the hills of the Weathered Heath, they reach Wolfsdale. There they start to investigate. Apparently, a script in blood was left at one of the almost-murder sites. But they aren't able to read the script. It's not any language that they know. Not even Chazna can help them.

The next couple of days of investigation are rather frustrating:

• The town cleric of Arianna, goddess of stars and the hunt, thinks it's an ettercap committing the atrocities.
• Apparently, the murderer has grown less murderous. There are survivors.
• Patrolling the immediate area doesn't turn up anything at all.

Finally, Bruenor turns up a lead. While at the inn, he talks with the townsfolk. They tell him that they fought a goblin tribe some years ago. They never found the lair, but suspect that it's located near the lake to the south. Not having any other lead, the group decides to search for the lair. Maybe something can be found there.

After a days travel into the forested hills around the largest lake in the Weathered Heath, the heroes find a hill that is fortified with a stockade. Some people seem to be on patrol on the stockade. After making camp, Chazna decides to go into elven trance, so that she can take watch at night. Orell decides to go swimming. A small creek is running at the back of the hill, and Orell carefully hides in the water. At the backside of the hill, he leaves the water and climbs a steep rock face with many handholds that is about 10 feet high. Above the rock face he reaches the stockade and manages to get a glimpse of the other side. The "people" on the stockade turn out to be spears with helmets stuck on them. With this new discovery he returns to the camp.

After Chazna has awoken from her trance, the group advances on the stockade. Mab discovers that the front gate isn't even barred. They enter the stockade and find the entrance to a network of small caves under the hill. They encounter a couple of traps, then two mountain lions and their master, a half-orc. They kill the lions and capture the half-orc. Mab and Chazna get him to talk. He tells them that:

• He lives here with his human mother and six half-orc brothers.
• They captured an ettercap, but another got away using magic.
• His mother and brothers are looking for the ettercap.
• His mother is a mighty wizardress,
• They chased away a tribe of goblins who used to lair here half a year ago.

Mab tells him that they have seven days to leave the area and that they should take that chance. Then the group searches the living quarters of the bandits.They find a lot of loot that the bandits captured, and also quite some riches amassed by the mother. They only take some of the coins (platinum pieces, eight aquamarines and some of the gold). The rest they leave for the family.

They also find a rough map of the surrounding area. It shows a cross about six miles to the south, indicating a villa and the note: "Villa and ettercap."

Then they move out of the lair and to the back of the hill. There they hide and wait until mother and three of her sons return. Then they sneak out to the front gate, but are discovered shortly before leaving the compound. The half-orcs attack and advance on the party. Chazna is seriously injured and goes unconscious. Mab goes on the offensive. Bruenor carries Chazna outside and then joins Mab. Orell takes up sniping position. The mother is indeed a wizardress or sorceress. She blasts Mab and Bruenor with a color spray, casts mirror image to protect herself, and her sons advance on the party. Mab repeats her threat of seven days. But ultimately, the party has to withdraw. Everyone is already outside of the compound, except Mab. When she tries to leave, suddenly a stone wall appears across the exit. But Mab isn't phased at all. She leaps up onto the stockade and then jumps down on the other side (That was rather spectecular, especially since Bruenor was immediately afterwards: "Why didn't you use the gate?" - Phantsmal force was really brilliant here.) As the heroes flee into the night, some bolts hit them. But that's just some random shots. As they enter the forest, Bruenor turns around at screams: "You have seven days to leave! Then we will be back."

To be continued...

TJ4 The Swamp of Dying Dreams Part 2

This is a direct continuation of the first part: TJ3 The Swamp of Dying Dreams Part 1. I consider this part of the same "module", therefore it is still TJ3. Tanris, the rogue, unfortunately couldn't make it to that game session.

Notes: This session used the full Player's Handbook (in practice the heroes were still all built with D&D Basic) and monsters from the web supplement for "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" and the D&D Basic DM Guide V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Bangrimm, male hill dwarven cleric (acolyte)
• Brim Smallcare, male lightfoot halfling fighter (folk hero)
• Taklinn Frostbeard, male mountain dwarf wizard/fighter (soldier)
• Tendrak Talis, male human fighter (soldier)

On the next morning, the heroes eat breakfast and encounter a bar maid that has apparently slept very unwell. She tells them that everyone is having bad dreams and a restful night is something from the past. They then decide to interrogate their lizardman prisoner again. After some intimidation by Taklinn, he spills the beans in Draconic which only Bangrimm can speak. Taklinn uses comprehend languages to listen in. The lizardman tells them that they are planning to return the swamp that was drained during the founding of Rakurstada to its proper place. He claims that they need the captured townspeople for a ritual to drown the town. He also tells them under duress that the other lizardmen are hiding somewhere to the north of the town within one mile of its walls.

Then the heroes go into the town of Rakurstada to complete some business. Bangrimm goes to town in order to visit the temple of Nastruhal, deity of smiths and craftsmen, for some advice. Taklinn wants turn over the lizardman to the authorities. Tendrak and Brim want to visit the temple of Waradin, deity of war to get some advice and healing potions.

Bangrimm is met with incredulousness by the local clergy when he tells them about the plans of the lizardmen. But in the end, he browbeats them into promising him a reward, if he can prove his story.

Taklinn meanwhile is surprise by the swift justice of the Jarl's huscarls. Their leader simply executes the lizardman on the spot, and tells Taklinn that their heads a worth 2 gold pieces each. Taklinn gets those two gold pieces. Also, the leader of the huscarls is not very convinced of the story told by Taklinn.

Tendrak and Brim fare a little better at the temple of Waradin. A cleric tells them that indeed the town was founded on a swamp and that the swamp was drained. Then he sells them healing potions and emblems of Waradin. Even Brim gets a healing potion after Tendrak testifies that the halfling is a mighty warrior.

The group meets up at the marketplace and decides to check on the resident wizard. Maybe he can tell them more about the ritual. He isn't at home and they just meet one of his apprentices, the girl Ysra. She can't really help them, except tell them that the wizard is the eldest son of the Jarl and not very well liked by his kinsmen. Brim suspects that he maybe in league with the lizardmen.

Finally, the group leaves town. And indeed, the captive lizardman didn't lie to them. There is a small hill by a stream just outside of town. Brim scouts ahead to a ruined hut, but there he is discovered by a lizardman guarding the approach to the hill. He calls for reinforcement, but even four lizardmen don't stand a chance against the heroes. During the battle, they even try to drown Tendrak in his armor. Brim and Tendrak set two of the lizardmen on fire, but the fourth can escape.

Afterwards, they try to cross the stream. Brim finds a tree on the other side of the stream at the entrance to a cave into the hill. He slings a lasso around a branch of the tree and does some impressive tightrope walking to the other river bank. Unfortunately, the tree is alive. It jerks the rope and Brim goes tumbling into the water. At the same time two lizardmen throw javelins at the group. A lengthy combat ensues. The lizardmen are backed up by some sort of shaman or druid who casts spell after spell at the group. Melf's acid arrow wounds Taklinn heavily, Brim and Tendrak fight underwater against the two lizardmen, then a stinking cloud incapicitates Bangrimm and Taklinn. But too late, they take down the awakened tree and finally reach the other side of the stream. The day is won! But the druid escapes through the water,

Inside the cave they find maps and ritual scrolls that could indeed return Rakurstada to a swamp. Also, they find the missing townspeople and some treasure (money, spell scrolls and healing potions). The ritual scrolls are enough to convince Bangrimm's superiors of the validity of the threat and they also reward the party. Taklinn collects on the lizardmen's heads.

WH5 The Walking Stones: Tannoch Rest of Kings

Notes: The adventure is based on Tannoch Rest of Kings and introduces part of the campaign arc for the Weathered Heath. The full Player's Handbook is used together with monsters from the Hoard of the Dragon Queen web supplement and D&D Basic for the DM V0.1.

Cast of Characters:

• Bruenor "Bonebreaker", male dwarf fighter (soldier)
• Grandor Runnaheim, male dwarf cleric (acolyte)
• Khelben, male human wizard (soldier)
• Mab, female human fighter (soldier)

Khelben and Mab are still trying to solve the mystery of the vanished stones, when Silea, the half-elven druidess of Miller's Crossing asks them for another favor. The village provides food and other consumables to a group of nuns living on a rocky island in Lake Crescent. They belong to the church of Celos, the deity of light and wisdom. The nuns apparently guard the resting places of magicians. But the last supply ship sent by the village a week ago, hasn't returned. So now Silea is worried and asks Khelben and company (Mab and Grandor) to investigate what happened.

But before they can set sail for the island, the head of the town militia reports that just outside of town, a caravan is attacked by "flying creatures". Khelben immediately asks: "Do you have trouble with harpies?" A perplexed militia captain answers "Yes, sometimes.." (good call by the player). So the three rush out to help the caravan that is under attack. 

There, they find Bruenor defending the caravan leader against attacks by vicious harpies. But all in all, not a big issue, since Khelben and Company makes short work of the harpies. Then they head back to town with the survivors and Grandor recognizes Bruennor as a cousin from the south, and of course Mab remembers the dwarven fighter who saved her live at the Battle of Madrenor. Five years ago, he literally dragged her out of a pile of dead soldiers shortly before the firewall spells hit the battle lines to cover the retreat of the defeated army of Thoran.

After taking a short rest, the companions set out towards the Isle of Tannoch Rest of Kings in a small sailing boat. Much to the dismay of Bruenor who somehow doesn't like water. Shortly before reaching the rocky island, they are attacked by an aquatic orgre who destroys their boat, but can be defeated. Mab almost looses her enchanted plate mail armor during the battle, as she wasn't wearing it. Mab has the idea of clinging to the wreck of the boat and swim the last few minutes to the island.

The plan is sound, but as the approach the stairs leading up to the tower on the island, rocks are thrown at them. The remains of the boat are smashed to pieces and they have to start swimming while rocks are launched at them. This attack continues all the way up to the tower, apparently perpetrated by an ogress who clings to the topmost battlements of the ruined tower.

Inside the tower, the group heads down into the lower levels. Everything here is wrecked and apparently, the nuns were taken as food by the ogres during the previous months. They barricade themselves in the lower levels and take a short rest. Suddenly, they are startled as a surviving nun appears out of the rock. Marta, as she is called, fills them in on what happened here: during the winter, three ogres came and stormed the nunnery. She tells them that the nun were guarding the remains of evil magicians who feared for their souls at the end of their lives. She also tells them about an ogre in the crypt who has started to open the graves and eating the ashes of the deceased. The group decides to search for that ogre.

Mab continues to think about everything that was happening in winter: three standing stones disappear, three ogres appear. She seems to see a connection.

But first, they battle the one-eyed ogre in the crypts. He is very strange. Each time Mab cuts him with her sword, something escapes from his flesh. Once even a spectre that is turned by Grandor. The group quickly dispatches the spectre after defeating the ogre. Then they return to Miller's Crossing, promising Marta to send her provisions.

In Miller's Crossing, they continue to investigate what happened. Apparently a lot of things:

• The dead wizard Hallad al-Bim was brought to the isle of Tannoch in the last summer by his apprentice Stannus.
• Later in fall, the apprentice re-appeared and tried to be taken to the island. But the villagers didn't help him.
• Stannus seemed to be looking for something.
• On the hill with the three missing standing stones, they find a small altar dedicated to Vathris, a southern sun goddess associated with fire.

They come to the conclusion that somehow Stannus managed to turn the stones into ogres after they hearing legends from Silea that the standing stone in the Weathered Heath were originally giants turned to stone by the gods themselves. But how can that be? Giants are a myth and only appear in the tales for children to frighten them. But Mab thinks there is truth behind the stories. Now Khelben worries that Stannus might be out there, trying to turn other standing stones back into giants.

During the investigation a couple of adventurers arrive in town: Kellion, apparently a sorcerer, and Tris, his ranger companion. The two have even met Stannus and Hallad al-Bim, because they were fighting them about a year ago. They know that Hallad al-Bim possessed a diadem of some arcane power. Apparently that diadem was taken to the isle of Tannoch, but Stannus wants to have it for himself. That's why he came back.

Fearing for the nun's safety, Khelben and Company return to the island. But there, the nun proofs rather uncooperative and even summons spirit guardians to keep the heroes from investigating the diadem that rightfully belongs to her order. Frustrated they leave.

In the evening, Kellion and Tris return from their adventures and tell them that another circle of standing stones has gone missing. This time six of them. Kellion posits that, if the myths around the standing stones are true, the unravelling of the gods' curse could cause a chain reaction, slowly turning all standing stones back into giants. Khelben is rather unsettled at hearing this. He asks them, where the next standing stones are located. They tell him that it's across the lake. The circle is called the Dancing Dew Maidens. Khelben decides to investigate. First, in all haste, but then Kellion tells him that the spell probably won't unravel over night. The group debates on the fastest way of getting to the Dancing Dew Maidens: either two to three days by horse or six hours straight across the lake by boat and then a short hike into the woods.

To be continued...

Closing note: My players are far too experienced. I had hoped to not have them notice that the standing stones walked away for at least another couple of months, since they are still too low level for the main plot which includes fighting giants.