Star Trail: Arkandor

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

That's a lot of cultists!

With no way to go but forward, Allison acts as the fake wall detector for the team as they fight even more ghouls and skeletons. There is also a large cultist presence at the end of the second level that the team smashes through before heading down to the deepest floor, which is strangely better lit than the one they just came from. There is also a strangely high tech, four digit combination lock on one wall that takes a little time to crack. Most annoyingly though, a wizard pops out of nowhere and AGAIN steals the Salamander Stone!

Erm, we -did- bring the stone to Lowangen...

This floor is host to numerous undead and a strange pillar puzzle where Braxwolf discovers the name "Arkandor", who must be the big shot of this dungeon. The team also runs into a Heshthot demon (long time no see!) which Wolfy and Allison put down with some effort. The terrible sense of dread becomes too much for Wolfy Eyes though and she considers leaving the party just like Korima did.

Fortunately Shintar talks her out of it.

After destroying more undead and slaying even more cultists the party reaches the final chamber where they find a dwarf who had been turned into stone as well as Lord Arkandor himself... who just happens to be a dragon!

Arkania: Runinshaven

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Stuck on the isle of Runinshaven the party decides to explore all the way up to the lighthouse. Around midway they find a cave which is the strangest one they've run into so far. It has pirates and undead. They also have a humorous encounter against another Heshthot demon. This one must have heard of them because on its first turn of combat it simply turned tail and ran! The most unique creature here though, was a dragon!

Because those are the only options you have when facing a dragon.

He had been trapped here by pirates and asked for aid to be free. This was a little more challenging than first anticipated as it involved fighting endless streams of mummies who were adept at breaking weapons, burning Zubon's hands to pull down a lever, having Paeroka's lockpicks break on a difficult door forcing Vayshen and Wolfy to bust it down with force and finally confronting the pirate captain and his lackeys. Vayshen also manages to get bitten by a rat after sticking his hand in a random hole.

With the orb controlling the dragon destroyed it rejoices, vowing to kill all humans it comes across for retribution. It does spare the party though, and gives them enough experience to advance another level. I guess that's a good thing?

And the world was a better place?

Arkania: Truth in Rumors

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

It was a few days later that the party arrived at Skjal by ship, now in the 1.5k Ducat range in wealth. Alas, no amount of money could part Jurge Torfinsson from his part of the map. He demanded to see a letter of introduction from the Hetman of Thorwal. The party did have one earlier, but Zubon kinda lost it in the marsh at Hermit's Lake. No problem though, for such an important quest surely the Hetman would make another right?

The party returned to Thorwal only to find the Hetman was uninterested in seeing them, and would basically no longer assist them in anyway. Dismayed by this turn of events, Shintar suggested they try clean out the remainder of the local keep. An idea everyone else agreed with, possibly because they were all drunk at that point. The amount of alcohol consumed in this game is amazing. Even the custodian, Master Dramosch was a bit tipsy when he let his old friends back in.

That sounds safe! Let's go!

After Curian managed to unseal the ominous door the team found themselves fighting undead again, proving that the rumors were in fact true. Stairs down led to vertical shafts leading down, and to flooded passages which required swimming.

One of those expletive moments.

At the very last floor waited another Heshthot demon. Paeroka was thrilled at the chance to "avenge" Nerk's passing but she didn't get the chance. Curian and Emmo did a combined kamehameha and it was simply no more. Eventually they find a narrow passage that leads out to a local smithy, which is odd since that kind of implicates the smith with all the demonic and undead presence down there. This point is left unexplored in the game. :P

Arkania: Keep moving Forward

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

After crossing the mountains and bypassing some wolves, the party next met with Umbrik Sevenstones at Orvil who agreed to help with the treasure map if they first helped him with a problem of his own. The dark druid Gorah, who was twisting nature all nearby was the target and was easily found in his clearing with a huge pack of dire wolves.

Nice doggies...

But they were just the start - soon harpies and forest lions joined the melee and ultimately, a Heshthot demon. The gigantic, robed, whip-wielding wraith was a very annoying opponent not because he was powerful but because he was VERY hard to hit. It is eventually slain, but only after mangling poor Nerk against a tree. The carnage was just too much for Wolfy Eyes.

It also turns out Umbrik doesn't have a map piece himself, but knows of someone who does in Brendhil, a town on the distant island to the Northwest. He also provides a letter of introduction for this person. With the loss of Nerk, the team considers returning to Thorwal first to replenish their ranks but Paeroka, now driven by the loss of her husband tells them that Nerk would have wanted them to keep moving forward, and to see the quest through to the end.