This is the tale of another group going through the RTEE mega-adventure. The group is rather hodge-podge, but has come together to form a rather effective team. Some of the players went through the original module, but these characters have no ties to the previous group.
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WARNING: The last bits of this may contain a few spoilers.
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For this group, it all really started when Serena, a human cleric of Pelor, was traveling with a caravan, headed towards the city of Greyhawk. The caravan was besieged by a raiding party of orcs. The caravan guards managed to run off the orcs, with some help from a few others in the wagons. After the battle, Serena went about checking on the injured. She came across Torgga, a dwarven axe-woman (fighter) out to make her mark on the world, who, while injured herself, offered to help tend to the others. She also met Jenna, a human sorcerer, and her bodyguard Gefton, an elven bowman (fighter), who were returning home after a trip abroad. The caravan finally arrived in Greyhawk, where is dispersed, though the four stayed in contact. A year or so passed, and during that time, Serena became friends with Charmaine, a halfling “troubleshooter” (rogue), who was a follower of Pelor.
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One day, Serena received a letter from a childhood friend, Lia Spellsong. The letter said that she and her husband were investigating some strange goings on, and thought that Serena might be interested. Seeing that the village that Lia had sent the message from, Brookhollow, was some distance away, she decided to ask if her friends would like to go along (safety in numbers and all). For their various reasons, they all agreed, so the five prepared to set out. With a series of favors from the church, the group managed to arrange horses for the trip and set out on a ‘Pony Express’ errand to reach Brookhollow as quickly as possible.
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Arriving in Brookhollow, they discover that Lia is not there. They ask around and are told that she left a day or two ago. That evening they manage to get the same room that Lia had stayed in, and manage to find her journal stashed under a loose floorboard. Nothing in the journal indicates that they planned to leave. After more investigation in town turns fruitless , they set out to some ruins that Lia had been searching. While there they stumble across a broken amulet. None of them recognize it, but they pocket it for later. They spend the next day poking around town, asking questions and checking a few more leads. They finally decided to go talk with the local priest the following morning. They discover, much to their chagrin, that the priest is an imposter, and is well aware that they have been poking around town. Melee ensues between the party and the priest with his henchmen, with the party finally emerging victorious. A brief search of the temple and its grounds revealed an excavation in one of the tombs. Scouring the tunnels beneath, the managed to dispatch several zombies and skeletons, while rescuing Lia, her husband, and several other prisoners. They also found the evil clerics personal things which included a letter addressed to a man called Master Thaque, in Hommlet. The letter was essentially a progress report on the excavations being done in the name of the Elder Elemental Eye. It also made reference to a deserted dwarven stronghold where the cult might be able to find some money and treasure. A long discussion with Lia regarding the letter and the amulet (symbol of the E.E.E.), gave them the location of the stronghold, and a bit of history on the Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye.
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Since the stronghold was on their way back to Greyhawk, they decided to stop by and investigate. They made their way through the stronghold, encountering a bunch of orc bandits, a tribe of troglodytes, a drove of duergar, and several other subterranean creatures. The finally came to the last vault of the complex, and its new resident. As they approached the end of the chamber, the young black dragon that had taken it as its home surprised them, springing from the water. A pitched battle was waged, but a few lucky strikes from the party managed to lay the beast low. They gathered up the dragon’s small hoard and made their journey home.
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Back in the city, they sold off a few items they didn’t need, and managed to work a few trades for items more suited to their personal tastes. Serena took the letter and amulet they had found outside of Brookhollow and asked the church for permission to investigate in Hommlet. They agreed, on the condition that they report all information they discover to the local church of Pelor. She told her friends that she had leave from the temple, and asked them if they wanted to go. Having heard about the cult from Lia, this question was pretty much rhetorical, so they bought horses of their own, and a riding dog for Charmaine, and set off on their two week journey to Hommlet...
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Chris Dial
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