New Party, New Foes

Arctikus, Hrothgar, Gell (Sorry if I got that wrong, Jeff) and Durin engaged the orcs of the Black Fist mercenary tribe just as they were about to fell Valaris and Gaav.

During rushed in to save Gaav, who was bleeding out at the start of the battle, while Arctikus threw up a defensive storm of ice and Gell moved to the chokepoint where the orcs were sure to pass.

Three Dire wolves circled the group, threatening to flank.

Numerous orcs fell to the twin axes of Hrothgar, who fleansed the orc chieftain into retreating.

While Hrothgar and Gell slew the line of orcs to the party's front, the Dire Wolves circled around behind the party. They faced a choice: Charge into the rear of the party through the dual clouds of ice daggers that Arctikus had thrown up to kill a pair of orc minions or double-team Gaav, who was - as usual - far away from the rest of the party. The choice was easy - Gaav was tripped up and knocked unconscious once again. Durin sighed and muttered a quick prayer to Moradin for patience.

At this point Hrothgar and Gell were pounding the orc leader, who luckily signaled the two wolves who were about to eat Gaav to cover his retreat. The party suffered no losses and were satisfied with the combat. They were starting to feel like a unit again.

Back at the Monastery of the Precipice the party pondered their next move. Gell and Arctikus bonded over the fact that they were both outsiders in this realm. Durin, meanwhile, had found fresh work for the party in the form of travelling to the ruined tower to the southwest of the Scepter tower on an errand.

The party is now working for a Halfling antique collector who is searching for an ancient tome thought to lie in the haunted tower. There are supposedly magic items of considerable power to be found in this tower, and the party thought it wise to gather some more strength before setting off into the catacombs after the Darano wererat patriarch.

Moving into the tower, the party discovered the slaughtered remnants of the halfling's previous hirelings. Dismembered adventurers lay sprawled in the first two chambers of the tower, striking horror and pity into the hearts of the party. Just as they were preparing to burn the corpses in usual fashion, the group was suddenly ambushed by a posse of 4 ghouls.

Arctikus was hit immediately and immobilized by the gruesome poisonous slime that coated the ghouls' claws. Just as oone of the abominations was about to feast on the vulnerable mage, Hrothgar let out a cry and struck with the two-pronged precision of a thundertusk boar, pushing the ghoul across the room until it thudded into a wall. Arctikus shook off the effects of the poison just in time to see Durin hold up his holy symbol and radiant light pulse outwards, searing the flesh of the ghouls and sending them cowering into the corner - easy targets for a fiery bolt from Gaav. Arc added his own fury to the mix and laid down a shimmering cloud of razor-sharp daggers on top of the ghouls, which Gell skillfully made use of. Whipping his sword around his head, the githyanki flung an arc of lightning at the last remaining ghoul, catching it and pulling it straight into the could of daggers and smiling and it was cut to pieces.

Down the stairs the party went, their blood up from such a decisive victory. But soon did they stop, cold in their tracks, for before them stood what could only be an armoured vampire knight, feasing on the remains of one of the ghouls - its blood-soaked gauntlets caught in the sunlight and burning with an unnatural odor...