The Chronicles of Kulgar Hakonson

DALEENA THE BARON OF ROCKEDGE TULIP'S TOWER THE TARAE CAVERNS CONFRONTATION CHAPTER 2: THE SEARCH FOR PRINCE CORBEN Kulgar Loki Circh Quartz

Daleena [July 1982] [p24-28]

19 Feb 01 (CY 577): Midday: Loki encounters two yeti! He kills the first with one massive blow from Kul's [+1] longsword and then quickly finishes off the second one. He then follows their tracks westward to their cave, where he finds their treasure (three gems and a ring).

20-21 Feb 01: Travel.

22 Feb 01: Loki (still dragging the unconscious Kul and Circh) finds the Mestornory Bridgeway and begins his crossing.

23 Feb 01: Travel on bridge.

24 Feb 01: Travel. Loki reaches Isleway in the evenimg.

25 Feb 01: Loki kills deer for food and builds an igloo to rest in.

26-27 Feb 01: Travel on bridge.

28 Feb 01: Travel. After reaching the end of the bridge, Loki heads towards the cover of the mountains and trees.

29 Feb 01: Travel south across plains.

01 Mar 01: Loki heads eastward.

02-05 Mar 01: Travel.

06 Mar 01: While traveling, Loki meets a human woman named Daleena. They agree to travel south together to her city, Narcharhard. Loki demonstrates his skill in archery by pegging her staff at fifty feet with an arrow. As they travel, Daleena reveals her story: Her father, the King of Olna, is dying. Her brother, Corben, is heir to throne, yet he is missing. She believes that her uncle Morditaek, the Baron of Rockedge, has kidnapped Corben in order to claim the throne for himself when his brother, the King, dies. She offers to help Loki (by providing healing and shelter in Narcharhard), but asks if Loki will help her to rescue her brother. She also offers to pay in gold! Loki also learns that there is only one wizard [Tulip] known in the kingdom. He is evil and widely hated.

Suddenly, Loki and Daleena are attacked by nine gnolls! Some are mounted on horses. Loki fires his arrows as the gnolls charge, then as they close in he switches to his sword. One of the gnolls accidentally kills himself with a critical miss! Daleena quickly jumps upon her horse and escapes from the battle. Loki continues fighting until there are only three left; two on foot, one mounted. The two unmounted gnolls begin retreating, but Loki kills one with a quick arrow shot. The last gnoll begins pursuing the fleeing Daleena on horseback. Loki kills him with an arrow!

07-12 Mar 01: Travel.

13 Mar 01: Travel and arrive at the gates of Narcharhard. The guards take Kulgar and Circh, while Daleena and Loki ride to the castle in a royal carriage. At the castle, Loki is introduced to Hargril, the captain of the guard, and a translator named Grindlin. He is then escorted to his private guest chamber. Loki bathes, has his hair cut, and then retreats to his room to rest. When he awakens, he is freshened up and taken to eat dinner with the King himself! After the meal, Loki is knighted by the King for protecting his daughter from the gnolls!

14 Mar 01: Loki is informed that the King has sent for a high priest (cleric) to heal Kulgar and Circh. Loki has agreed to help find Corben, so Daleena asks him that if he should find her brother to be dead, he should attempt to bring back proof that Morditaek was the one responsible.

15 Mar 01: The high priest arrives and heals Loki. He says that it will take about four days to heal Circh and maybe five for Kulgar.

16-23 Mar 01: Loki lives as a guest at the castle while Kul & Circh are healed.

24 Mar 01: Circh is finally up and around.

25 Mar 01: Kulgar awakens and quickly agrees to help find Corben.
Later: Circh is upset that Kul and Loki have made the decision to help without consulting her first! Kul shrugs off her complaints and she reluctantly agrees to go along.

26 Mar 01: Kul suddenly declares his dislike of sorcery [3rd week of July, 1982: the kindly GM has approved Kulgar's conversion to the new AD&D barbarian sub-class (Dragon Mag: July 1982)]. He breaks his enchanted [+1] longbow in half and tosses a sweet water potion out of the window! Circh, however, convinces him to give his enchanted [+1] longsword and ring of warmth to her (to sell, of course!). Repairs to Loki's armor are now finished and the party prepares to leave Narcharhard. They mount up and ride southwest towards the town of Rockedge.

27 Mar 01: Morning: The party passes by a giant ram.
Afternoon: Find a cave with skeletons within. Exploring further, they find a huge cavern with a large pile of treasure in the center. Kulgar continues to investigate the tunnels and, peeking around a corner, he spies a huge white dragon! Circh sneaks around behind the dragon, while Kul runs to it's side. Kul and Loki kill the dragon and then the party looks through the treasure. Kul takes a spear.

28 Mar 01: Travel.

29 Mar 01: The party arrives at Rockedge. They spend the first evening at a very unclean inn. During the night, Loki leaves. Soon, Kul and Circh also leave and find another inn. Some city guards follow them. Meanwhile, Loki spies a suspicious man in a black cloak and follows him. Loki climbs through a window and then opens a nearby door, but suddenly, and inexplicably falls unconscious!

30 Mar 01: Kulgar and Circh, walking along a street, see the town guards take a woman from her house and roughly take her away. Circh and Kul follow them to a large manor on a hill. They then explore the town to become familiar with the layout of the streets.

They happen to find Loki's backpack and sack hidden in a crate and Kulgar spots the window nearby. Circh sneaks into the building through the window and manages to fall into favor with the thieves within. She gains some information and the thieves also agree to free Loki. Loki is angry and wants to fight the thieves, but Circh convinces him otherwise. Circh and Loki rejoin Kul and they all leave peacefully. Kulgar finds a tavernkeeper that speaks some Common! The tavernkeeper calls him "Eastie".

31 Mar-1 Apr 01: Discuss plans in Circh's room.

The Baron of Rockedge [p29-30]

02 Apr 01: The party leaves the inn before dawn, and sneaks through the town to Baron Morditaek's manor, carefully avoiding any guards along the way. They easily sneak into the manor through a window and begin exploring a couple of rooms. Kulgar looks for a secret door in the library, but finds nothing. Two guards discover them and Kul and Loki swiftly kill them. Four more guards arrive, however, and they are also eliminated. Loki also kills two other people [0 level]. The party finds the stairs to the upper floor and follows them up. They swiftly hide around a corner as Baron Morditaek and two guards walk by. One of the guards spots them, though, and soon both guards are dead! During the fight, the Baron disappears down the stairs.

The party quickly runs around a corner and through a set of double doors into the Baron's plush private chambers! There is even a fountain in the center of the room! They quickly check the room, but nothing useful is found. They pass through a curtained doorway on the right-hand wall and discover the Baron's bed chamber. There is one window and another door in here. Through the window they can see guards approaching the building! Behind the door, they find a small study with a desk. The desk contains many papers...all written in Baklunish, of course! Kul & Circh grab a bunch of papers as the guards begin to bang on the double doors! Kul quickly bars them shut! Circh throws her grappling hook up to the roof and she quickly climbs up. Kul follows, but is struck by a crossbow bolt! Loki remains in the bed chamber, while Circh and Kul search for a way off of the roof.

Loki desperately tosses the bed out through the window at the guards below. They quickly scatter! Circh has pulled up the rope, so he locks himself in the study as the guards finally break through the double doors. Circh lowers the rope down to a second floor window on the other side of the building. She and Kul then climb down to the window and gain entrance to a small bed chamber. They peek out through the door and see four soldiers guarding the double doors and facing both ways.

Loki surprises a guard coming into the study and then fights off several more. Circh, meanwhile, climbs back up to the roof, while Kul waits in the room. She crosses the roof and then lowers the rope for Loki. Loki quickly climbs up, escaping the guard infested bed chamber! Together, they cross the roof and gain entrance to a tower where they find stairs down. They descend the stairs, which lead to the outer hall of the second floor (now full of guards!). Kul stills waits. Loki is struck by a bolt while trying to peek from the stairway! They soon become aware that the guards have also now gained access to the roof!

Soon, the Baron reveals himself and Loki challenges him to a one-on-one fight, but Morditaek refuses to dismiss his guards from the scene. Kulgar emerges from the small room and is about to challenge Morditaek himself, when the Baron suddenly commands his men to attack! A bloody battle begins! Kul does very well in this fight. After killing a few guards, Loki manages to engage the Baron in combat! More guards come to Morditaek's defense, however, and the Baron is able to disengage from combat and cross the room to safety. Morditaek manages to overpower Circh and holds her at knifepoint as he demands that Kul and Loki surrender immediately. They both reluctantly throw down their swords and are then taken down to the dungeons through a secret door in the library. The dungeon is sealed off from the upstairs by a thick iron door with strong bolts locking it tight.

Kul & Circh are taken to one of the many prison cells (after first passing through the local torture chamber!). Loki is thrown into a cell with an old Baklunish man. Circh regurgitates a swallowed lockpick and manages to unlock her and Kulgar's chains. Soon, a guard and torturer approach their door, so they pretend to be locked up. The torturer enters the cell with a large needle in hand, but the guard leaves. Circh and Kulgar kill the torturer and leave him in the cell. They then exit the cell and sneak up to the door of the torture chamber. They discover that four guards are within. Meanwhile, Loki breaks his chains and then frees the old man as well. They continue digging a hole (camouflaged by a pile of hay) that the old man had previously started.

Meanwhile, Circh and Kul charge into the torture chamber and attack the four guards! After killing the guards they proceed to search for Loki. They eventually find Loki's cell. Kul helps dig the tunnel until guards are heard approaching the door. Circh & Kul hide in the corners of the cell, while Loki and the old man pretend to be locked up. The door opens and the Baron himself steps into the room! As he enters, a guard follows him in. Kulgar attacks with a stolen guard's sword, but misses! As the battle begins, the Baron quickly backs out of the room and tries to close the door. Kulgar quickly leaps forward, though, and gets slammed into the closing door! He pushes his way through and engages more guards in the corridor! Fighting desperately, Kul, Loki and Circh are able hold their own, forcing the Baron and most of his guards to withdraw towards the exit. They retreat into the torture chamber and quickly lock the door. Some guards remain in the prison area, though, and the battle rages on. As Kul continues to fight, he tosses his keys (obtained earlier from a dead guard in the torture chamber) to Circh. However, a guard manages to grab the keys from Circh and attempts to throw them through the small barred window in the door. He misses the shot, though, and is soon put to permanent rest!

The party then gains access to the torture chamber and the remaining guards are then killed, but the Baron has apparently already retreated upstairs. They soon find that the iron door is bolted, locking everyone within the dungeon. All of the prisoners are now freed, but unfortunately, Prince Corben is not found among them. The party searches the entire dungeon for secret doors, hoping to discover another exit, but finds none. Next, they continue digging the tunnel with the prisoners helping to move the dirt. One woman does happen to discover a secret panel! Kulgar opens it and finds a lever. When pulled, they find that it opens the bolted iron door! Loki investigates and finds that there are still many guards waiting upstairs. The iron door is closed again and the party returns to digging the tunnel (upwards now). Eventually, the tunnel breaks through to the surface. Loki peeks out and discovers that they have emerged outside the rear of the manor. There are a few guards here. Everyone climbs out of the tunnel and flees down the hill! Kul manages to kill a couple more guards before retreating. As he flees, though, he realizes that his last opponent was wielding his longsword [the flame tongue]! He quickly runs back, grabs it, and then catches up to the others.

Kul, Loki, and Circh hide in the alleyways as mounted city guards ride though the town. One guard spots them, but he turns out to be a spy fromNarcharhard and offers to help. He leads the party, disguised as prisoners, straight past other guards to the rear of a building where they are hidden in barrels and loaded onto a wagon! When they finally emerge they find themselves in another part of the town where they are then given some old, torn clothes and disguised as beggars. Then, they sleep in front of a tavern.

03 Apr 01: The party meets another "beggar", who brings them to a house on the south side of town where they are resupplied and given further instructions on how to escape from Rockedge. They are told to run through a hole in the south wall after the explosions are heard. The party waits awhile, until finally the explosions are heard! They emerge from the house to find that there is now a large hole in the south wall of the town! They quickly run through and flee south, towards Tulip's tower!

04-07 Apr 01: Travel.

Tulip's Tower [p30-33]

08 Apr 01: The party finds Tulip's tower. They decide to rest in the woods off of the road. A group of Rockedge guards bringing slaves to the tower is spotted.

09 Apr 01: Rest.

10 Apr 01: Kulgar wants to break into Tulip's tower, but Circh and Loki don't like the plan, so Kul goes off alone. He borrows Circh's rope and grappling hook and proceeds to climb up what he thinks is the outer wall of the tower's bailey. At the top of the wall he finds a roof! Apparently, the entire structure is enclosed and there is no bailey at all. The only apparent windows are high up in the tower, but they are high out of reach! He searches for secret doors, but after finding none he returns to the ground and approaches the front entrance. Kulgar pounds on the double doors and then quickly hides around the corner as two strange humanoid creatures [tarae] with pointed ears and ugly faces emerge. As the tarae begin to search the immediate area, Kul finds two of them guarding the now open doorway and attacks! Suddenly, in the middle of battle, he finds that he cannot see anything at all [Darkness cast upon him by a tarae]. Kul quickly jumps backwards in an attempt to disengage his opponents, but crashes right into another tarae! After turning around several times he runs away blindly, only stopping to rest after running into a tree! Exhausted and depressed, he falls asleep beneath the tree, thinking he is blind.

11 Apr 01: Kul awakens and is amazed to find that he can see again! Soon, a tarae approaches and Kul engages it in battle. More tarae approach and Kul flees, but this time he escapes the magical darkness and is able to climb a steep slope to hide. One tarae wanders into the camp where Circh and Loki are still resting. After a brief fight, Loki is able to subdue the creature and ties it to a tree. After hiding for a while, Kul returns to the camp where he finds an angry Circh. Apparently, she is upset because Loki hasn't killed the captured tarae. Loki keeps attempting to question the creature, but it doesn't seem to understand his language. Kulgar has come very quickly to hate these seemingly magical creatures, and swiftly kills it with a single thrust of his sword! Loki is quite mad, to say the least!

12 Apr 01: Travel north away from Tulip's tower. Encounter nine bugbears! A tough battle, but Kulgar and Loki are eventually victorious in the end.

13 Apr 01: Travel.

14 Apr 01: Kul and Loki hunt deer for food. They are able to fix four days of food for each member of the party.

15 Apr 01: Travel back south towards Tulip's tower.

16 Apr 01: Travel south.

17 Apr 01: Rain begins to fall as the party once again arrives at Tulip's tower. Rest.
Night: Kulgar and Loki break in the double doors and swiftly kill two tarae in the front entrance room. The party advances through a door and finds a spiral staircase leading up into the tower to a door. This is obviously the door to Tulip's private chamber at the top of the tower. Loki knocks upon the door and then the party waits silently. Soon enough, Tulip himself opens the door and Kul, Loki and Circh attack him! Tulip quickly backs into the room and casts an Invisibility spell upon himself. He then casts a Sleep spell upon the party, but since Loki is an elf, he fortunately is unaffected. Kul and Circh pass out, though, and as Loki revives them, Tulip escapes from the room. Soon, the wizard's tarae guards come bursting in! During the ensuing battle, Circh escapes out through the door! The battle doesn't go well and Loki also makes his way out through the door and down the stairs. Kulgar is also thinking of escape, when surprisingly, Tulip returns. Kul prepares to attack, but suddenly finds that he cannot harm the wizard. Actually, he now feels friendly towards Tulip and follows the wizard downstairs. However, as he passes an open door, Kul sees Loki being grappled and pummeled by tarae as he struggles for freedom! Tulip's spell is not powerful enough to prevent Kul from helping his friend and Loki is soon free. They fight their way from the stronghold and flee into the woods! When Circh cannot be found anywhere they conclude that she must have been captured. This was Kul's first encounter with a spellcaster and he is a bit shaken up!

18 Apr 01: Kul and Loki travel northward in the rain. They plan to return to Narcharhard.

19 Apr 01: Travel in rain. Kill a rabbit for food.

20 Apr 01: Travel. The rain stops.
Night: Kul and Loki are attacked by three hill giants, but manage to escape. The hill giants set up their own camp and soon lay down to sleep. Loki sneaks into their camp and manages to steal a vial of cream from one of their huge sacks. He soon finds that the cream is some kind of healing salve, which he and Kul need badly.

21 Apr 01: They hunt a fox, but it escapes. Travel onward.

22 Apr 01: Travel around Rockedge.

23 Apr 01: Kul and Loki avoid a party of about twenty orcs and then continue traveling north-east towards Narcharhard.

24 Apr 01: Travel. They encounter another hill giant. The giant is killed and some gold and a pair of silver bracers are found in its sack. Loki takes one bracer, while Kul takes the other (Loki had wanted both bracers, since he believes that they are magical, but Kul insisted that they split the pair [after he failed to detect magic on either of them]). [Loki has achieved 5th level.]

Afternoon: Arrive at Narcharhard. They are washed, have their wounds bandaged and their armor taken to be repaired.

25 Apr 01: Kul & Loki are healed by a cleric. They then pick out some new equipment.

26 Apr 01: Kul visits a tavern in the town where he meets a halfling named Quartz Dessalc [1st level thief] who is looking for some adventure and has some skill as a thief. He also speaks fluent Baklunish and some Common. Kul feels that Quartz will be needed, so they make plans to meet on the following morning.

27 Apr 01: Cloudy with a slight wind. Kul and Loki meet Quartz and they leave Narcharhard with Quartz riding on the back of Loki's horse.

28 Apr 01: Cloudy and warmer [60 degrees] with a slight breeze. Travel. Fight and defeat four ogres.

29 Apr 01: Still cloudy, but cool [47] with a faint breeze. Pass Rockedge. The weather warms up later, though it rains and becomes windy.

30 Apr 01: Cloudy and drizzling with a strong breeze [40+]. The rain stops in the midafternoon, though by nightfall it has started up again. The party sleeps in a small cave as the rain falls all night long.

01 May 02: The rain continues [49]. The party awakens in the midst of puddles. Pass by a few dwarves on a ridge. At night the rain lets up to a drizzle.

02 May 02: Cloudy and very windy [48]. Trees are spotted far ahead.

03 May 02: Very overcast and cold with a light breeze. The party arrives at Tulip's tower in the forest.
Night: They see lights on in the tower and continue to watch 'til the lights finally go out around midnight. Quartz skillfully climbs the outside of the tower and then lowers a rope. Kul & Loki swiftly climb up and they manage to surprise Tulip in his private chamber! Kul leaps at the wizard while Quartz plugs him with an arrow. After a brief struggle Tulip is dead! They quickly collect his treasure and Kul eagerly breaks the wizard's staff with little regard to it's value or the danger of his action!  [Kul collects some incriminating papers and] the party descends the stairs. They kill two tarae and then continue down further to the tarae barracks where they engage five more guards. Kul and Loki kill the first two and then Kul engages another while two others tip a couple of beds over onto their sides as cover as they prepare to fires arrows. Quartz kills a guard and Kul kills his opponent. Loki kills the last one and the party quickly descends further. Two more guards confront them, but they are quickly dealt with. Four more tarae descend and confront them. Loki kills the first with a single arrow and the second quickly retreats as Quartz and Kul kill his companions.

The party finds three doors here, but all are locked. Quartz picks the lock on the left door and they find a row of prison cells. He then attempts to pick the lock on the center door, but fails. He does succeed in opening the last door, revealing more prison cells. They kill a stray tarae guard and find that he has the keys upon him. They use the keys to open the remaining door and find more prison cells. They soon find that all the cells are empty and proceed to search for secret doors. After about an hour of very tedious searching, they finally discover a very odd secret door in one of the cells. To unlock the secret door one must enter the cell, close the cell door and first lock it, then unlock it and open the door inward (instead of out). The unlocked secret door can then be opened.

The  Tarae Caverns [p34-37]

03 May 02 cont: The party passes through the secret door in the dungeon of Tulip's tower and discovers the tarae caverns. They follow a passage and encounter two tarae. Loki kills one, while Quartz and Kulgar kill the other. They continue to follow the tunnels further and turn right [south-east] at a fork. They battle six more tarae, and Kulgar is injured. They soon find that the passage is a dead-end and are forced to turn back and take the other tunnel. They follow the left passage for over 200 yards until it opens into a large cavern [cavern A] with a small gate house within it. They battle eight tarae here. Victory! [Kul hits with triple-maximum damage!] They first investigate the gate house and then check out the entire cavern, but find nothing. Sleep.

[04 May 02: Morning]: Quartz drinks a healing potion. Earlier, he tasted one of Tulip's potions and vomited. The party continues onward. About eight tarae pass, headed back toward Tulip's tower. The party soon comes across another gate house. Loki kills the guard and the party hides in the gate house as more tarae pass, all headed towards the tower. They leave the house and continue on again. They soon pass by three more gate houses [cavern B]. After killing a guard at the third house and then passing though the gate, they encounter six more tarae. Due to the lack of a light source Kulgar cannot see, so Loki and Quartz must do all of the fighting. Then, one of the tarae unsheathes a glowing shortsword and Kul is able to see again! The party is victorious as Quartz kills the last tarae and takes the enchanted shortsword.

The party rests and then continues on. They enter another cavern [cavern C] where they are able to sneak past a gate and kill a guard. They soon find an unguarded slave girl. She informs the party that they are headed towards a dead-end. Otherwise, she has no useful information, besides the fact that the tarae eat fungus! The slave girl joins the group as they turn back to find another passage. They kill another guard at the next gate and then encounter three more tarae. Kill them! Meet three more tarae. Kill! Kul is hit, but they continue on! Six tarae are ahead! Included in the group are two archers. Loki kills them. Soon, they are all killed. Continuing to back-track, Kul attempts to leap over a gate, but it raises up and strikes him in the crotch! Ouch! Meet two tarae and a guard in a guard tower. The party runs past another gate and the guard is killed. They run down the new passage. After following the passage for about three miles, they come to another guard house and another cavern [cavern D]. The path through the cavern leads past an inn and a tavern full of male and female tarae.

Fight two more tarae. They yell for help and more come out of the inn and tavern. The slave girl is killed in the battle...oh well. Pass another gate, Kul picks up Quartz and runs! They manage to escape and continue onward. They kill a guard at another gatehouse and then Kul kills yet another guard. They are pursued and then, during a brief fight, a tarae casts Fear upon Kulgar. Loki and Quartz manage to retreat, and Kulgar soon recovers. He encounters two more tarae. One flees to a house and summons a larger tarae [their sergeant?]. Kul kills the two guards (with his longsword, he dropped the broadsword), and then proceeds to attack the leader. Loki fires arrows and soon the tarae sergeant is dead.

Four more tarae attack. Quartz fires sling bullets and the party enjoys an easy victory. The party approaches another gate and kills four more guards. Eighteen more tarae join the pursuit! It seems like a small army is in pursuit now! Kul & company hop another gate and run onward. Encounter one guard. Kulgar rams him with his shield, Loki slices him, and Quartz stabs him! He dies. Kul again picks up Quartz and they run on!

The party reaches another gate [cavern H] and fights their way through. They rest in a house and eat some [tarae?] stew. After awakening from their rest, they find that a wagon full of prisoners has been brought in through the south-west gate. The party kills the tarae guards and frees the prisoners. The prisoners reveal that the south-west gate leads to the tarae King's stronghold! A girl and an old man join the party [as guides?]. Loki poses as a tarae soldier and manages to bluff his way past some guards with the rest of the party acting as slaves. Loki has learned some basic tarae phrases and apparently they are enough to fake his way through!

Tarae phrases:

Kdru-bana-ashee:  "These are my slaves."

Bdro-kan-nana:  "Leave me alone."

Kye-ah-sen:  a general greeting

Bdroo-dana-fi-yen:  "Let me pass."

The slaves are finally freed and one of them does indeed turn out to be Prince Corben, but Circh is nowhere to be found! The party attempts to leave the house. Loki starts waving the tarae King's bloody head around. Most tarae run away, but a few stay to fight and are killed. The party passes by the pillar, but the slave-girl is gone, The party continues into the next cavern,  where they free some more slaves. The slaves suggest that the whole place should be burned. Kulgar is quite angry at not finding Circh! As they continue on, however, Quartz hears a woman calling Kulgar's name! Kul runs over to find Circh fighting a tarae. He kills it and they embrace!

05 May 02: The party continues and fights their way out of the tarae caverns and Tulip's tower.
Night: Very windy [52]. After escaping from the tower, they discover that their horses are gone, but they are able to recover some equipment. Set up a shelter and rest. [Quartz has achieved 3rd level]

06 May 02: Late Afternoon: Wake up. Circh gives Kulgar a big kiss and thanks him. They sit near the fire together. Talk to Corben and show him some of Tulip's papers.

07 May 02: Clear skies, cold [38]. Travel northward.

08-09 May 02: Continue traveling northward.

10 May 02: Continue traveling.
Late Afternoon: Reach Rockedge and travel around it through rough hills. Clouds roll in during the night.

11 May 02: Rain. Travel north-eastward.

12 May 02: Rain stops. Continue traveling.

13 May 02: Travel. Leave mountains.
Midday: Four men on horseback approach the party at full gallop! Kulgar unsheathes his sword, but too late! The first horseman leaps from his mount and attacks Corben! The others also dismount. Kul engages them in combat, while Loki and Quartz begin firing arrows. Kul manages to knock down his opponent and then quickly turns to defend the Prince. While his back is turned, however, Kul is backstabbed (with a poisoned blade!). The battle is won shortly thereafter and the party continues swiftly towards Narcharhard. So close are they to the city, that Kul neglects to bandage what he considers only a minor wound. But as the gates of the city come into view, Kul suddenly becomes lightheaded and falls off of his mount. He loses consciousness as his heartbeat fades and his breathing slows drastically. The party rushes him into the city, where Corben calls for an immediate escort to the castle. As they make their way through the streets they are slowed by a huge crowd, but finally arrive. Kulgar is dying! His breathing has stopped! He is quickly taken to a private room within the castle. The cleric enters and examines the wound. He casts Neutralize Poison. The cleric has saved Kulgar's life again. Quartz takes the papers (stolen from Tulip's tower) from under Kul's belt and hands them over to Princess Daleena.

Confrontation [p37-52]

14 May 02: Kul wakes up. He is washed, clothed, and fed, afterwhich he leaves the castle and goes to a tavern. In the tavern, Kul gets into a fight with three rakes. He doesn't kill them of course, but is victorious anyway. Meanwhile, back at the castle, Corben is suddenly attacked by two servants. Quartz defends the beleaguered Prince and the assassins are killed.

Later: Kulgar returns to the castle, drunk. He sleeps.

15 May 02: Very windy [40]. Quartz cannot convince a hungover Kulgar to go searching for the Baron today. He becomes angry and leaves the town alone. Once outside of the town, however, he stops to wait for the party.

Meanwhile, Kul has all of the treasures stolen from Tulip's tower appraised [and sold?]:

Kulgar: 1000 gp
Quartz: 1000 gp
Circh: 400 gp

Loki has decided to stay at the castle [to guard Corben & Daleena. He even donates his portion of the treasure to Circh!]  [Actually, Tony A. has already left the game and the GM has taken the opportunity to write Loki out of the saga.]

Kul and Circh buy some new equipment and supplies and then leave town on horseback. They soon meet up with Quartz and ride towards Rockedge to search for the Baron.

16 May 02: Few clouds [58]. Travel.
Night: Quartz hears heavy footsteps approaching. Sounds like a giant. The party hides behind some trees and watches as a giant stops about forty yards from the camp and then continues on.

17 May 02: Travel southwest.

18 May 02: Travel.
Sunset: Arrive at Rockedge. The town is very different now. The atmosphere is much more welcoming. The party finds the same tavern with the tavernkeeper that speaks Common. Quartz investigates the Baron's manor. The building has been burned to the ground. Quartz asks a beggar about the Baron's departure. He finds out that the Baron left through the north gate and that the nearest settlement is Basatain, a fishing village to the north.

Kul, Circh and Quartz have a good time in the tavern that evening.

19 May 02: Thick fog, cold. Circh mentions that the Baron may have gone into the mountains to hide. Leave town and head north, traveling across plains towards the mountains.

Midday: Reach mountains. Kul succeeds in finding hoofprints (of the Baron and his men?)! They follow the prints along the road towards Narcharhard.

20 May 02: Encounter ten orcs. Kul emerges from the battle unscathed. Quartz is injured, though, and Circh is injured very badly. The party mounts up and continues on toward Narcharhard, where Circh can be healed. It begins to rain.

21 May 02: The rain stops, but it is still overcast with light fog. Continue traveling.
Midday: Kul cannot find the tracks any longer, so they just continue following the road.

Encounter two hill giants. A tough battle, but the party is victorious in the end. They collect 1,100 gp in treasure from the dead giant. Sleep. A dismal night.

22 May 02: Travel across plains.
Evening: Arrive at Narcharhard. Everyone is healed. Daleena and Corben are under heavy guard.
Night: Quartz points out a campfire not far away [from camp or town?]. He and Circh attempt to move silently to the area. They are apparently successful and find five of the Baron's henchmen around a campfire. They return immediately and inform Kul.

The Baron's men are easily surprised and Kulgar even kills the first with one destructive blow [triple damage]! The party enjoys an easy victory and Circh discovers that one of them has her enchanted dagger, which she now reclaims. Kul is able to locate the men's tracks and after following them a ways, they discover the Baron's own campsite! He is surrounded by about 19 henchmen (15 guards and 4 assassins).

As Circh attempts to circle around behind the Baron, Kulgar charges into the campsite and leaps at Morditaek from the front! He is not surprised by Kulgar, but he is by Circh, who manages to backstab him! He turns to fight Circh and Quartz. Kul attempts to strike the Baron, but misses and finds himself surrounded by a handful of guards! He is forced to disengage from the Baron and defend himself. Meanwhile, the assassins disappear into the chaos and then reappear to take down Quartz. As Quartz falls, Kul continues to defend himself. He is struck a few times and then turns to find the Morditaek directly behind him! Even as he attacks the Baron, he sees Circh being punched and wrestled to to the ground. Kul leaps over to her, but finds himself totally surrounded. In a last, desperate attempt to escape he drops his broadsword and springs straight upward, grabbing a tree branch! He then quickly discards his shield and jumps to another tree. A rain of arrows misses him. He attempts a third jump to another tree, but falls, landing on his feet. As runs he is hit by a sword wielding guard and an arrow, but relying on his barbarian running skill he soon manages to outdistance them. When he finally stops running he hides in a tree for a while, until he believes their search has ended and then descends to hide in some bushes.

Soon, Kulgar hears heavy footsteps approaching. He attempts to hide in the shadows, but then hears strange grunting and comes face to chest with a troll! He strikes the troll swiftly and then manages to flee with his life, despite some rather serious injuries. The troll chases him, but he quickly scrambles up a tree and then throws some food off to a distance. Apparently, the troll is hungry as it retrieves the food and begins eating.

Kul carefully descends from the tree and finds a new hiding place. However, he ventures too close to the Baron's campsite and a guard decides to investigate a noise made by careless Kulgar's feet! Kul [3 HP] quickly hides in another tree. Soon, more guards, with torches, arrive and begin searching the area. Suddenly, Kul hears Morditaek himself. The Baron states loudly that he knows Kulgar is hiding nearby and that unless Kulgar helps him kill Prince Corben, he shall kill Circh. He gives Kulgar fifteen minutes to respond, but Kul says nothing, keeping absolutely still. When the time limit expires, Morditaek demands an answer, but again, Kulgar remains silent. The Baron orders Circh's decapitation, and Kul hears the axe fall.

Kulgar remains hidden for a while, until the Baron and his men have all gone back to their camp. He finally descends and begins to walk south, away from their campsite. Soon, however, he realizes that he is being followed and after failing to hide he just barely escapes from one of Morditaek's assassins. He continues for a while and then lies against a rock to sleep at night.

23 May 02: Quartz, having survived the attempted assassination, wakes up to find a female druid named Liarna caring for his wounds. He tells her all about what has happened to him. They travel back towards Narcharhard together. Meanwhile, Kulgar awakens and eats. He spends the entire day resting.

24 May 02: Quartz and Liarna arrive back at Narcharhard where Quartz is healed. He finds that Kulgar and Circh are not there, though. Kul travels and encounters seven hobgoblins. He injures one and then escapes with a spear and some fresh wounds. He sleeps outside again that night.

25 May 02: Kul finally arrives back at Narcharhard where he is healed by the cleric.

26 May 02: Kul is healed again and resupplied. He attempts to destroy his enchanted longsword [flame tongue], but fails (damn good sword!). He then attempts to break it with his foot and cuts himself badly!

27 May 02: Kul cannot walk very well. He rests all day.

28 May 02: The cleric heals Kul's foot. Kul and Quartz leave town in the afternoon.
Evening: Gray skies. Arrive in the mountains. Kulgar stops at a large rock and begins beating the frost giant's longsword [flame tongue] violently upon the stone! It finally breaks, releasing a flash of flames and heat. Sleep peacefully.

29 May 02: Blue skies. Travel north by northwest.

30 May 02: Clear skies; breezy and cool. Kul and Quartz locate the Baron's old campsite, but Kul fails to find any tracks revealing their direction of travel. Continue on southward.

31 May 02: Travel southward.

01 Jun 02: Travel southward. Cross road that connects Rockedge and Narcharhard.

02 Jun 02: Travel southward. Black smoke is spotted rising over a nearby mountain to the west. Kul and Quartz approach to find a badly wounded man and woman near a burning house. Kul bandages them and they take the pair back towards Narcharhard in cots.

03 Jun 02: Travel towards Narcharhard.

04 Jun 02: Travel and arrive at Narcharhard. Kul and Quartz learn disturbing news: The King has died making Corben the King and the Baron is apparently headed northwest towards the fishing village of Basatain, where Corben and Daleena are hiding! It is an 8-6 day journey to the village.

05 Jun 02: Kul, Quartz and Captain Hargril leave town accompanied by eight guards. They enter the mountains. Clouds develop in the evening.

06 Jun 02: Travel northwest.

07 Jun 02: Travel. Nice scenery.

08 Jun 02: Travel.
Evening: During dinner, three trolls invade the campsite. Four guards are killed, three are injured before the trolls are finally defeated.

09 Jun 02: Cloudy. Travel. Leave mountains and travel into plains.

10 Jun 02: [52] Travel northwest across plains. The party sees wolves ahead, eating something. The wolves back away and Kul & Quartz find that their meal was three guards from Narcharhard. Their faces have been removed by the Baron and his men! Continue on faster. Quartz rides with Kul on his horse.

11 Jun 02: Morning: The party meets an old fish merchant and his wife who report that they have not seen the Baron or his men. They have, however, seen a lot of guards from Narcharhard.

Early Evening: Arrive at Basatain and stop at an inn.
Night: Quartz robs two fishermen (but doesn't kill them).

12 Jun 02: Morning: Kulgar attempts to disguise himself by shaving off his beard and mustache. He also leaves his broadsword, tarae amulet, and silver bracers in his room (to further hide his identity). He then walks down to the wharf where he suspects that Morditaek and his men may be hiding on a ship. He soon discovers that the only ship large enough for all of them is a merchant ship called the Shark's Tooth. He returns to the inn and spends the afternoon exploring taverns.

Night: Quartz sneaks onto the Shark's Tooth for a look around, but finds no sign of the Baron.

13 Jun 02: Kul passes by Liarna on the street, but she is not dressed as a druid. He follows her around the village and then begins following some of her "contacts". Later, he follows a man that he recognizes as one of the Baron's henchmen into a tavern where he finds Morditaek and all of his lackeys (including Liarna!) sitting at a table in the common room. None of them seem to recognize Kul. He quickly departs and returns to the inn where he informs Quartz and Hargril of his discovery. Kul and Hargril then return to the tavern to spy on the Baron from a nearby table.

Later: Hargril informs Kul & Quartz that Morditaek and his men are planning to go on a "fishing trip". Kul thinks that Corben and Daleena must be hiding out on one of the small boats in the harbor. Quartz rents two fishing boats.

14 Jun 02: Pre-Dawn: Kul, Quartz, and Hargril and his four guards wait at the wharf hoping to see the Baron and determine his plan. They wait 'til dawn, but there is no sign of Morditaek or any of his lackeys, so they row out about a mile into the harbor. There are many fishing boats out here. They decide to row eastward for about a mile and a half, hoping to determine where Corben and Daleena are hiding and how best to protect them. They see the Shark's Tooth pull away from the wharf and Kul thinks that the Prince and Princess may be on the ship (and are possibly sailing away to safety). The party rows back to the wharf and quickly returns to the tavern where Morditaek was last seen, but he is nowhere to be found! Looking out to the harbor, they notice a small boat burning offshore! Kul and Quartz hurriedly row out to the burning boat to investigate. They are somehow able to get on the boat and find some of Corben and Daleena's clothes in the cabin, but there is no sign of the Prince or Princess themselves. They row back to shore again and return to the inn discouraged.

Back at the inn: One of the Baron's henchmen enters and informs Kul and Quartz that the Prince and Princess are both dead. Circh, however, is still alive, and the Baron will kill her if Kul (or any of the others) interferes with his plans! Kul and Quartz follow him back to another inn, but fail to learn anything new. They buy a horse and then find Hargril and the guards. The entire party leaves for Narcharhard.

15 Jun 02: Travel.

16 Jun 02: Travel. A fire is spotted about a mile and a half away. Quartz sneaks closer to investigate. He finds that Corben and Daleena are still alive, but they are about to be burned to death by Morditaek and his men who have set up a bonfire! Quartz quickly returns and informs Kul and Hargril. The party surrounds the Baron's camp and swiftly attacks! Kul quickly kills one of the assassins and then moves towards the Baron. Liarna attacks Kul from behind, while Quartz fires arrows! Kul ignores Liarna and charges straight at Morditaek, pushing him towards the fire! One of Hargril's guards manages to save Daleena from the flames! Liarna accidentally injures herself [critical miss]. The Baron grabs Kulgar and the two men struggle for a bit before finally pushing away from each other. Quartz attempts to sneak up behind the Baron, but Morditaek quickly grabs the halfling and throws him into the fire! Kul dives and knocks the Baron down! He then grabs the Baron in a headlock, but cannot maintain the hold. The Baron stands, but in regaining his footing, he steps back directly in front of the raging fire. Kul kicks him backwards into the flames! Morditaek regains his feet again, but now his clothing is on fire. Quartz, who has recovered from the flames, then plugs him with an arrow and Morditaek once again falls back into the fire. The battle finally ends as the Baron and Liarna burn in the bonfire. Only Kulgar, Quartz, Daleena, Hargril, and one guard have survived the brutal melee. Corben is dead. As are all of the Baron's lackeys. There is still no sign of Circh, though.

The party searches through the battle site. Kul finds Circh's enchanted dagger and [+1] ring of protection. He keeps them with the hope that she will be found alive and he can return them to her. Quartz recovers his enchanted shortsword and ring of feather falling. He also finds another ring and enchanted dagger, which turn out to be Daleena's. An unconscious Daleena is placed in the Baron's wagon and the party leaves for Narcharhard.

17-22 Jun 02: Travel towards Narcharhard.

23 Jun 02: Arrive at Narcharhard. Daleena is immediately healed, but remains secluded (unconscious?) in her private chambers. Kul is eager to go out searching for Circh, but Grindlin suggests that he and Quartz should remain in the castle until Daleena is fully healed.

24-26 Jun 02: Rest/wait in Narcharhard.

27 Jun 02: Daleena finally recovers, but remains in seclusion, refusing to see anyone. Kul decides that he has waited long enough! He and Quartz leave town headed north towards Basatain to search for Circh. Kul brings her enchanted items.

28 Jun 02: Travel across plains.

29 Jun 02: [70] Travel through mountains.

30 Jun 02: Travel through mountains.

01 Jul 02: Leave mountains. Kul and Quartz spot a wagon loaded with crates moving toward them along the road. There are three suspicious looking cloaked individuals sitting in the front. After passing the wagon, Quartz convinces Kulgar that they should investigate, as they may have Circh captive. Kul turns and charges on horseback towards the back of the wagon. He is promptly struck in the arm by an arrow from the wagon! He steers his mount off of the road, but is then wounded further by more arrows. Apparently, there are two bowmen hidden amongst the crates on the back of the wagon. Kul halts, and as the wagon continues at an accelerated rate, he follows at a safe distance. Eventually, the wagon stops. As Kul slows up, Quartz dismounts (from Kul's horse) and attempts to sneak towards the wagon through the tall grass. The men on the wagon produce  Circh and hold her at knifepoint. Quartz sneaks towards them and suddenly strikes the man holding Circh with an arrow! Circh swiftly ducks aside and manages to escape having her throat cut! She quickly leaps off the wagon and then rolls underneath. Kul charges forward as Quartz fights his way towards Circh. As Kul readies his club in his left hand, his mount suddenly goes down (killed by arrows?) and he tumbles off! Quartz, meanwhile, reaches Circh and quickly cuts her loose! He gives her his enchanted dagger and she joins the melee. Kul fights his way to the wagon, leaps up onto the back and swiftly kills one of the bowmen. The other aims at him, point-blank, but never gets to fire as Circh backstabs him! The battle ends, and Circh begins to cry. Kul attempts to comfort her. Quartz collects money from the fallen men and the three head back towards Narcharhard on the wagon.

02-05 Jul 02: Travel towards Narcharhard.

06 Jul 02: Arrive at Narcharhard.

07-26 Jul 02: Rest, relax and recuperate in Narcharhard.

27 Jul 02: Daleena is crowned Queen of Olna and Kulgar, Quartz and Circh are all knighted! Kulgar even dresses up in fine clothes with ruffles (after bathing first, of course!). There is a huge feast after the ceremony.
 
 

28 Jul 02: Kul, Quartz and Circh are each rewarded with 1,000 gp! They each order something special:

Kulgar: a jeweled, silver belt buckle in the shape of a goat's head. 
Quartz: four daggers and a jeweled belt.
Circh: a jeweled coffer full of every gem possible.

29 Jul-23 Aug 02: Kul, Quartz and Circh live comfortably at Castle Narcharhard.

DALEENA THE BARON OF ROCKEDGE TULIP'S TOWER

THE TARAE CAVERNS CONFRONTATION