1. Hobgoblin City
2. Northcoast Liberation
3. Drow Observatory
4. Glacial Rift

Note: T, L, Y, Q, H, C = months of the year: Tuilë (spring), Lairë (summer), Yavië (autumn), Quellë (fading), Hrivë (winter), Coirë (stirring)

VII.1: Hobgoblin City (155 Yavië 45 - Quellë 5; 1986 July - 1987 January)

Background and summary: For some time now, a few characters have had reason to find someone named "L". They finally get around to doing so, and find that the person is actually a Hobgoblin commander named Ell Kara. She has been trying to prevent the start of a war between the surviving civilised Hobgoblins and most everyone else on Dafan (she fears the war will be the end of her kind). She has thus been trying to find some powerful adventurers who could convince non-Hobgoblin nations to prepare for war (thinking that alone might dissuade the Hobgoblins from launching their assault) and/or pre-emptively attack some key Hobgoblin targets (again, with the hope of preventing the start of war). She has failed to get anyone's attention to this point; in greater desperation, she decides to lead this band of adventurers to a ruined Hobgoblin city in order to find devices that will help slow the Hobgoblin advance at the outset of the coming war.

Starting members:
from White Plume: Bree (WrC9), Raiko (MU6/Mk6)
from Lost Caverns: Alcavron (F5/T5), Florelli (T7/F5/R3), James (F7), Ragnar (WrC4/F4)

154C30: at the conclusion of White Plume Mountain, Bree and Raiko go north to find someone named “L” (as directed by Sif)
T16: Bree and Raiko arrive in the Dwarvenlands, and meet up with Tse and Gandalf; but neither they nor the Dwarves know who this “L” person is that Bree is looking for (actually, Gandalf was briefly looking for “L” almost a year before, but Lanefan got in the way – see end of Lizard Tomb)
T31: with all training complete, Bree and Raiko leave with the Lost Caverns Party for Noranglia (most of which has now been overrun by the Hobgoblins)
T50: arrive at Lammath, where the Lost Caverns Party splits up; Alcavron, Florelli, James, and Ragnar join Bree and Raiko, while the rest stay put
L2: Party arrives at Husavik; find word of “L”
L4: finally meet Ell Kara (i.e. Commander Kara), who had information available for them almost a year before; Party determines that they need Ell to lead them to an ancient Hobgoblin city, far to the north; Ell Kara (WrC9) joins . . . sort of: she and the Party have a common goal, but are still on opposing sides of a growing war
L7: determine that Jarl of Husavik was bribed to do nothing [rather than prepare to fight the encroaching Hobgoblins?]; Party convinces landowners to prepare for an invasion
L10: Alcavron hires a Gnome Illusionist: Gregory III (I2) joins
L13: Hobgoblin Assassins try to kill Ell, but fail; Bree tries Speak with Dead on attackers, and finds out that her spell cannot work on Hobgoblins
Ragnar the Depressing gets into fights in bars; Bree joins him; they kill a few rowdies, then cure up the survivors; locals demand reparations; Ragnar pays 12,000sp for 2 raises, while Bree pays for damages and some drinks; Jarl exiles the two from Husavik
L17: Ragnar is hounded by 15 relatives of one the people he killed in Husavik; Bree Enthralls most of them, and they leave
L24: arrive at Freyvall; Bree was exiled from that town in 153 (see Frost Keys D), but James has connections and is able to talk her way safely in; Bree meets up with her old henchling, Elina
L25: at 1:30 am, 2 Red Dragons strike Freyvall, while 600 Hobgoblins encircle the town; the Jarl and all of the Party but Ragnar charge the Hobgoblins on horse, and punch through
Party continues north, warning towns as they go of the invading army; Ell not happy with this
L30: arrive in Siffjord; Bree finds out that Åsa’s Axe is out with a suitable wielder killing giants
plan their route to the far north; sell horses and hire a boat; Party squabbles over something and James refuses to join the others when they sail for Balstad (instead, he rides a reindeer)
L46: arrive in Balstad; buy 10 reindeer and extra winter gear
Bree hires a priestess of Skadhi as a new henchling: Thyri Kveld-Ulf (WrC2) joins
Alcavron convinces an out-of-place Hobbit to join: Madoc (F1) joins
L51: James arrives in Balstad, and lists conditions for his return to the Party; Bree and Ragnar have a fight; Ell orders the Party to sort out its difficulties or she won’t work with them; the Party agrees to a 2-day experiment of “cooperation”
L58: leave overland; meet plenty of bad weather as well as Yeti
Y19: getting close; Ell starts conducting experiments using strange instruments in order to find the city
Y25: arrive in Talvikyulya, a small Lapp community; various Party members show off their skills, trade goods, and otherwise play tourist; only Ragnar braves the local beverage of choice, fermented reindeer milk, and thus wins the locals’ approval
Y26: Haldir wanders into the village, for some reason; Haldir (F5/MU5/T6) joins
Y30: battle an incredibly stupid but incredibly tough Mist Giant; Thyri almost killed
Y43: finally reach the Hobgoblin city; negotiate with an ancient, hungry, and somewhat friendly Giant, receiving information in exchange for hunting down a Mammoth
Y45: enter city; battle Hobgoblin Monks; Ell is surprised, and concerned, to find any Hobgoblins here
Y46: 10 Monks (including one Mk12 and one Mk8) clobber the Party; Alcavron, James, and Ragnar killed, Bree, Florelli, and Ell almost killed
Y47: Bree uses some of Ell’s magic incense: Alcavron, James, and Ragnar raised
Y49: Florelli somehow provokes Bree and Ragnar into fighting; they both Summon Warriors; James and Haldir try to break up the fight, and Ragnar almost kills Haldir; Alcavron stops the fight
find Lanefan, strapped to a torture table; Bree tries to wake him with a slap, and almost snaps his neck (the table magnifies impacts, so the slap became a mighty wallop)
Lanefan (F7) joins, but the Party immediately votes to put him on trial for stealing the Sword of Healing (see Lizard Tomb), which has since been stolen from him by Arlan, which he explains; Raiko is judge, Haldir is the prosecutor, Florelli helps in the defence
Raiko rules that:
• Lanefan must pay 2500sp to the Astarte Temple in Tell ‘Uqair (from where he stole the sword)
• Lanefan must pay to Gandalf the smallest coin of the realm, when they next meet
James is offended by this ruling, and so Raiko adds one more condition:
• Lanefan must protect James
Bree then casts a Quest on James, forcing him to stay with the Party, and Ell casts a Quest on Lanefan to protect James to the best of his abilities for as long as James lives
The Party is not happy with Raiko’s ruling; Raiko takes it personally and offers to commit suicide; Haldir encourages him to do so, but Ell prevents it
Y50: Ragnar breaks his Berserk Sword while fighting Caryatids, but the hilt still berserks him; he’s happy
Y51: Raiko breaks a stone spike that happens to be magically holding apart the stone walls of an infinite pit, and becomes one with the stone; Raiko killed, having melded into the stone; half of the Party is deafened for hours by the sonic boom created by the event
Gregory, using his limited psionics, uses a device to Summon a long-lost adventurer, Terriann; Signy appears moments later and takes Terriann back, and attacks Lanefan for good measure; Lanefan killed
Y52: Bree Plane Shifts to Folksvangr and brings Lanefan back: Lanefan raised, essentially
battle 2 Umber Hulks; Haldir is almost killed, while Gregory is stepped on and almost killed
Ell convinces 5 Bugbears to join; Ell admits that Bugbears are descendants of the Hobgoblins of old
find an entire community of wraiths and spectres, the remnants of a Hobgoblin community that died a horrible death; Bree and Ell take turns casting Protection from Evil/Good to hold most of them at bay, but the Party has to fight 26; Ragnar uses wax to seal the door, and the Party flees
Y54: Lanefan killed by Magon
Y55: Party fights over whether or not to raise Lanefan
L57: Madoc killed
Y58: Party finds the devices; while experimenting with them, Haldir panics and runs into a Sphere of Annihilation; Haldir killed
Y60: Bree planeshifts to Gladsheim (home of some Norse deities) with Alcavron and James, and have Lanefan and Haldir raised; Alcavron wanders about, and finds Simon and brings him back! Simon (P6) is essentially resurrected and joins, when he returns with Bree and Alcavron;
James and Haldir leave the Party when they wander off in search of a legendary Elven smith, in order to commission a +3 2-handed sword for James; on the way, are caught in a storm upon an unworldly sea, and are saved by Sif ...
meanwhile, Ell finds out how to use a psionic-enhancing device, and gives the Vridi Emperor a headache
Q1: Party gets outdoors and prepares to leave the city; Ell surprises the Party by summoning a small army of Yeti, and demands that the Party follow her to Astarah; but Swiness appears out of nowhere, turns Ell into a newt (the world’s first 86 hit point psionic newt), tells the Party to go to Signy, and then leaves with Ell as her familiar!
Gregory then activates a new device, creates an immense wall of (illusionary) fire, and drives the Yeti away
Q2: Party decides to kill the semi-friendly ancient giant, for no good reason
Q3: finally find their reindeer, and leave
Florelli acquires a Snowy Owl as a pet (the owl is actually Arlan)
Q10: after several planeshifts, and some walking, arrive at Signy’s place, find out that the Hobgoblins have overrun much of the Norselands and Noranglia, and “plan the assault of the world”; split up the treasury, leaving about 20,000sp for James and Haldir, if they should ever return

Note: Simon has returned from the Land of the Dead under unusual circumstances. He was given a choice by Heimdall: either return as a normal mortal, but without any memory of the Land of the Dead; or return as a reformed spirit, perfect of form and with all memories, but suffer a perpetual yearning for Gladsheim. Simon chose the latter, and must yearly return to Gladsheim.

Surviving members: Bree (WrC9), Simon (P6), Alcavron (F5/T5), Florelli (T7/F5/R3), James (F7), Ragnar (WrC4/F4); Gregory (I2), Thyri (WrC3), Haldir (F5/MU5/T6), Lanefan (F7)
New members: Ell Kara, Gregory, Thyri, Madoc; (Haldir, Lanefan, Simon)
Retirees: Ell Kara (turned into Swiness’s newt familiar)
Casualties: Raiko, Madoc; (Alcavron, James, Haldir, Lanefan [twice], Ragnar - all revived)
Continuing parties:
1. Bree, Simon, Alcavron, Florelli, Lanefan, Ragnar, Gregory, Thyri
2. Haldir, James (Northcoast Liberation - join partway)

VII.2: Northcoast Liberation (155 Quellë 17 - Hrivë 2; 1987 January - May)

Background and summary: While the party was treking in the snow near the pole, the Hobgoblin War began. On their way back, the Party finds that most of the coastal Norselands have been overrun by the Hobgoblin army; so they decide to liberate it.

Starting members, from Hobgoblin City: Bree (WrC9), Simon (P6), Alcavron (F5/T5), Florelli (T7/F5/R3), Lanefan (F7), Ragnar (WrC4/F4), Gregory (I2), Thyri (WrC3)

Q3: Arlan (NtC7/T5) rejoins, secretly, in the form of a Snowy Owl which has befriended her niece, Florelli
Q10: Party arrives at Signy’s place, and find out that the Hobgoblins have overrun much of the Norselands and Noranglia; plan how to liberate it all; Bree is given Åsa’s Axe by Signy
find Raiko revived, and waiting for them at Signy’s (Heimdall grew so weary of debating Buddhist philosophy, he returned Raiko to the land of the living); Raiko (MU6/Mk6) rejoins, now a follower of Heimdall
Helga (T7-F3) rejoins, having been working for Signy waiting for Lanefan to return
Q11: most of the Party decides that Siffjord should be their first target; Lanefan and Helga would rather head to Noranglia, but stay with Party; Ragnar wants to help the Dwarves, and goes to them; Ragnar leaves (Party realises only later that he took most of the new Hobgoblin devices with him)
Party leaves for Siffjord
Q17: get to Siffjord’s fjord; Arlan does flyby of Siffjord
discreetly meet with farmers to find out details; led to a group of brigands, who tell Party details of the invaders; messengers sent to other Norse communities
Alcavron, Florelli, Raiko, and Helga sneak into Siffjord; Helga sleeps her way to information
Q19: Ullsefni, 18 year old son of the deceased Jarl of Siffjord, arrives at the brigand camp

Q20: The Battle of Siffjord:
3:00 am - Alcavron, Florelli, Helga, and 3 local Thieves begin discreetly killing guards; unknown to them, Arlan does the same
5:30 am - they are discovered, flee, and stop attacks
6:15 am - they torch two Hobgoblin barracks
6:30 am - frontal assault by Ulsefni, Simon and Raiko, along with 150 seasoned troops, 300 farmer militia, 40 berserkers
6:45 am - 2 longboats arrive with 100 troops, one with an Ullr Cleric armed with Fireball beads
also: 2 ghost ships arrive, floating over the water; James (F7) and Haldir (F5/MU5/T6) rejoin, having sailed the ghost ships from Gladsheim, courtesy of Sif
6:50 am - rear assault by Bree, Lanefan, Gregory, and Thyri, along with 120 brigands and 200 farmers
also: Gregory casts illusion of a huge Hobgoblin deity’s face crying above Siffjord
also: 150 townfolk join in the battle
in reserve elsewhere: Swiness and a powerful Cleric to Hel, to give cover in case of retreat
The Result: a painful victory over one Hobgoblin garrison
875 (of 1000) Norse died, including Ulsefni (heir to the Jarldom)
Raiko killed in initial assault
Lanefan and Helga killed as main assault ends (Lanefan had quaffed a Potion of Growth and a Potion of [strength?], making himself a 30 foot tall target for all archers)
Alcavron killed during assault of Hobgoblin’s flying castle, located at centre of town
all 616 Hobgoblins killed or captured, including an MU10, F10, and lessers
(but some 200 are still out on patrol)
all 12 Giants killed
a Hobgoblin flying castle captured (a.k.a. “stratofortress”)
some Goblin slaves killed, but 18 survive: made to clean up the castle, then sent on their way; most end up as servants or slaves of locals

After the battle:
Gregory learns how to control the castle: Captain Gregory III of the Skycastle Excalibur
Arlan flies around, finding and curing overlooked survivors
Bree organises a hospital
Simon gives a rousing speech to the crews of the 2 ghost ships; his popularity is growing by the hour – he has, after all, recently walked back from the land of the dead
at the big feast to celebrate the victory, Bree campaigns for Simon as the new Jarl
Simon elected Jarl of Siffjord; forms a ruling council including the 2 relatives of the deceased Jarl, as well as Arlan as Minister of Mudballs
joined by Karl, an heir to the jarldom of Freyvall, who’s itching to free his city as well
that night, many cremations and burials of fallen Norse
Q21: mass cremation of many unidentified fallen Norse on a longboat at sea
Arlan ceases being a bird and/or invisible, but assumes the persona of Kirelanethan for a while, a wandering Loki priestess, and joins the Party, as does another local: Thorfinn (F6) joins
Alcavron and Lanefan raised by Bree, with the help of several other clerics
Bree then places a Quest upon James and Haldir, to serve Sif for 80 weeks, in exchange for Sif saving their lives and then returning them to the land of the living
Q22: news comes in that 160 Hobgoblins, out on patrol, seen on their way for Siffjord; Simon calls in the ghosts from the ghost ships, and sends them forth; James and Haldir go with them, having grown used to their company; as well, a strike force of 100 healthy Norse and Party members sent forth in the castle
the ghosts rout the Hobgoblins, killing most while the humans hunt down the remainder
meanwhile, the clerics continue raising other corpses: Helga raised, but Raiko fails to be revived
a local woman falls for Haldir; it later turns out that she is far from mundane, and is befriended by others in the Party: Helena (NtC/MU) joins
Arlan finally reveals herself, and James promptly demands of her the Sword of Healing; but she doesn’t have it (having already given it to Florelli), and nothing is resolved
Q23: locals continue to rebuild Siffjord, especially its defences; daily combat training for all; many Norse from surrounding farms and communities flock to Siffjord and join the resistance; Bree and Thyri help tend the Temple
Q25: at 1 am, a surprise attack: 1 Wyvern flies in, carrying a Mage and a Fighter; they enter castle, make for the control room, and almost succeed in recapturing it
Q27: Jarl Simon begins search for potential wives (there’s nothing like allying with a few powerful families through marriage, to strengthen one’s position as a new Jarl)
Helga finds out that Florelli has the recently modified Sword of Healing and steals it (replacing it with another, very magical sword), and flees to Signy with Lanefan (thus Lanefan and Helga leave the Party); Arlan in bird form searches for their trail and then pursues
Helena and Simon both search for mates, and mate with them; Helena becomes pregnant
Q30: Arlan catches up to Lanefan and Helga, and steals back the Sword of Healing; when she returns, she gives it to Florelli (again)
Q31: Cynthia Ulaniel Barin (WrC3/I3/T3) joins, discreetly at first as a castle worker eager to learn how it works
Q32: an army of 1800 led by Jarl Simon leaves for Freyvall; Gregory flies the castle; advance force led by Bree and Karl, the heir to the jarldom of Freyvall; Arlan, Alcavron, and Florelli also head off in advance
(note: at this point, the local Hobgoblin commanders are well aware that Siffjord fell, but are unaware that the rebels have full control of the flying castle or that the rebels have what amounts to a reborn legend – Jarl Simon – as their leader. In part, their ignorance is due to magical shielding by Signy.)
Bree has Thyri stay behind in Siffjord and help tend the Temple; Thyri leaves
Q35: vanguards and the army regroup, 1 day from Namsos, a ruined town at the crossing of the river to Freyvall; army has grown to over 2000 now; scouts report that there are 5 enemy camps around Namsos, totalling about 2000 troops; consists mostly of Humans, with some Orcs and Hobgoblins
contact made with Freyvall valley resistance

Q37: The Battle of Namsos
4:30 am - Alcavron, Florelli, Arlan, and few other Thieves sneak across river and begin killing guards
6:10 am - army attacks the enemy camps
Gregory puts castle to good use, driving it at ground level through two camps: utterly unstoppable
The Result: Victory
over 500 of the rebel army killed, out of over 2000
over 800 of the enemy killed, out of around 2000
Karl, heir to Freyvall jarldom, killed
Arlan knocked unconscious while in bat form; almost run over by Gregory, almost bleeds to death before found in debris
surviving enemy regroups and goes inland

Q38: Arlan flies invisibly into Freyvall to spy
rebel army moves to coast, is joined by hundreds of locals and many boats from the Orust islands; this causes dissention, as Orusters not liked by many mainlanders
Q41: raid on castle by Hobgoblin commandos (MU8, C7, F7, F7, F5/A5); Gregory and Cynthia killed, the only two people with experience flying the castle
Helena gets castle running, marginally; psionically broadcasts to the world, in Hobgoblin: “mission complete; going to Freyvall”
Swiness arrives with various folk from Signy’s place: Swiness (MU8), Ell-as-newt (WrC), and Helga rejoin (but Swiness is only on “leave of absence” from Signy); Helga brings her “cousin” Olaf (who is really Lanefan, highly disguised, magically, by Signy); “Olaf” joins
Once again, the Sword of Healing becomes a topic of discussion; Jarl Simon declares that he will rule on its ownership when he sees it
Helena belittles the sword discussion, and in doing so offends James; James leaves (see below)
Q43: army, now numbering around 5000 and including 2 high level Clerics (C13 to Sif, C10 to Thor), moves again: target is now Yorvik (Thorheim)
Arlan leaves all of a sudden, taking the Sword of Healing from Florelli; again flies north to the famous Elven Smith in Norbotten; and has the hilt of the Sword modified again, this time so that it is a nearly perfect copy of another magical sword (which already has a very similar blade), and has that other sword enhanced with the power to Heal (at considerable expense); the net result is that there are now two, nearly identical Swords of Healing.

Q49: Battle of Yorvik
The Result: Victory
2000 liberators die
kill 2400 Hobgoblins, 1600 Orcs, 1300 Humans; 500 Orcs flee
Haldir and Swiness almost die

Training, Q50-58: Alcavron = F6/T6, Helga = F4

Q51: Gregory and Cynthia raised
Swiness begins to practice with castle (and secretly modifies some controls ...)
Q60: Wolsingham falls to the Hobgoblins; but hear tales of a mysterious Dwarf Mage clobbering scores of Hobgoblins elsewhere
H1: Party finally gets word from Ragnar: he had been captured shortly after he left the Party, but managed to talk his way into “joining” his human captors, promising successful and profitable campaigns; Halveig the Black (F3) joins (a devout henchling of Bree)
H2: Party heads for Vandatic states, south of Noranglia; by now, Bree has acquired 5 followers (including Halveig), Simon has 6, called the White Company; Cynthia and Thorfinn leave, staying at Yorvik; Gregory leaves, staying with the castle (Yorvik for now)
take direct route, smashing a few patrols as they go
H15: Ragnar rejoins, having caught up to the Party
H21: enter Vandalias, become more cautious
H25: Arlan rejoins, unnoticed, having followed directions discreetly left by Florelli along the way
H39: get to western border of Vandalia; dig out their outdoor map from The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth adventure, and proceed south
H42: Arlan gives Helga two magic swords, including the one that now resembles the Sword of Healing (which she steals back again sometime after the next adventure)
H44: Party meets a Hobgoblin patrol, and in the process of destroying it starts a forest fire; Arlan finally makes presence known to entire Party, when puts out the fire
booty includes an Evil amulet; when Ragnar tries to destroy it with his magic sword, Haldir leans down in order to see if there is anything readable on it; Ragnar beheads him: Haldir killed
Bree Planeshifts somewhere with Haldir’s body: Haldir raised, but is Quested to kill a Dragon in Norbotten; Haldir leaves for Norbotten
Jarl Simon holds court: imposes a 500gp weregild on Ragnar; Bree then adds a Quest on Ragnar, to save Haldir’s life once
that night, Swiness gets revenge on the Elf-hating and device-hoarding Dwarf, arranges for Signy to “collect” Ragnar; Ragnar leaves
H45: Party discovers Ragnar missing; Bree accuses Swiness, but without proof, nothing is done
H51: arrive at Dwarven frontier fort; continue into Dwarvenlands
H60: Lanefan, Helga, and Helena leave

note: sometime later, Signy steals the entire flying castle (Swiness having modified the controls to allow this), complete with Gregory. [Or perhaps when she “collects” Ragnar?] Last seen, the castle was floating on the lake by her village.

Surviving members: Bree (WrC9), Swiness (MU8), Simon (P6), Alcavron (F6/T6), Florelli (T7/F5/R3), James (F7), Arlan (NtC7/T5), Ragnar (WrC4/F4), Ell-as-newt (WrC), Gregory (I2), Thyri (WrC4), Haldir (F5/MU5/T6), Olaf/Lanefan (F7), Helga (T7/F4); Thorfinn (F6), Helena (NtC/MU), Cynthia (WrC3/I3/T4); Halveig (F) plus 10 other Followers
New members: Thorfinn, Helena, Cynthia, “Olaf”/Lanefan
Retirees: James (to Brunland), “Olaf”/Lanefan (to Swordquest), Haldir (to Dogar Marsh, but see also preliminaries to Leopard’s Eye), Ragnar (“recruited” by Signy), Helga (to Swordquest), Gregory, Thyri, Thorfinn, Helena, Cynthia
Casualties: Raiko; (Alcavron, Lanefan, Helga, Gregory, Cynthia - all revived)
Continuing party: Bree, Swiness, Simon, Alcavron, Florelli, Arlan, Ell-as-newt, Halveig and 10 Followers

Where does James go?

155Q41: James travels to the land of the Scots (the highlands west of Lammath and Glanby Lake, bordering on the Dwarvenlands), on behalf of Jarl Simon
H13: he is captured as a suspected spy, but has a letter of introduction from Simon and so released
H18: with news, information, and contacts relating to the War, James convinces the Scots (with some Dwarves) to march to the assistance of neighbouring Lammath
H40: major battle at Caer Gwyn (the gateway to Lammath); the Hobgoblins are victorious, but their advance is halted and later reversed, as troops are bled off to defend against major Dwarvish attacks elsewhere
H60: Caer Gwyn is recaptured, and the War recedes for good; James begins to settle down and plan out a major castle in southern Noranglia; the central tower and some temporary buildings alone will cost 14,000sp, while the addition of 4 main outer towers and various walls will add another 72,000sp
C15: James sent to spy on Hobgoblin activities in Anglia
C54: while spying and surviving, James meets and joins up with the Party in Brunland adventure

VII.3: Drow Observatory (155 Coirë 2 - 8; 1987 May - Fall)

Background and summary: Having helped the Norsefolk liberate much of their land from the Hobgoblin army, the Party turns its attention to seemingly more mundane matters. Frost Giant activity leads them to a Drow observatory on the top of an icy mountain. Stunned by such a find (why would Drow care about the sky?), they wipe them out - all of them. But documents found in the observatory indicate that a bigger project is underway, which they deal with later (see Ragnarok).

Starting members, from Northcoast: Bree (WrC9), Swiness (MU8), Simon (P6), Alcavron (F5/T5), Florelli (T7/F5/R3), Arlan (NtC7/T5), Ell-as-newt (WrC), Halveig (F) plus 10 other Followers of Bree and Simon

H60: find out from intelligence officer Gloin about suspicious activity by Giants to the south
C1: bad weather keeps Party put; Swiness’s birthday celebrated
C2: leave Dwarven outpost
get to staircase carved into moutainside; Arlan flies to examine, reports an odd construct on peak; Alcavron jokingly suggests that it is an observatory – haha!
C3: wait; watch 2 Giants arrive with shovels, and dig for 6 hours; celebrate Bree’s birthday; when the Giants leave, Arlan follows them for several hours, and determines the general location of their home (the Party follows up on this in the next adventure)
C4: a newcomer arrives, having been sent by the Dwarves; Caramyr of Gnosall (MU3/Mk4) joins
leaving the Followers at camp, the Party ascends the mountain stairs: 1400 meters; enter the building
attacked by Drow occupants; Arlan, in bird form, is driven out of the building by illusionary ghosts, gets caught in the jetstream, and only returns hours later; kill some Drow, capture others; Alcavron, Florelli, and Swiness (i.e. the Elves) have to be restrained from killing the captives
find out that the Drow are astronomers, the building is an observatory, the Giants have been hired simply to keep surface folk away, and the Drow’s interest is with the 2 tiny moons of Dafan, for they somehow offer the “ultimate technological power”; also find out that more Drow on their way from below the mountain
C5: Arlan flies lots of looted documents to the Dwarves; tells Followers to ascend and join Party
a Byakhee which has been discreetly following the Party lands; Caramyr talks with it, finds out some more about the Giants’ activities
Party descends the Drow stairs (inside the mountain)
battle Umber Hulks and Troglodytes, then a Drow patrol; go back up
Followers arrive, with Dwarven engineers including Uuhn (last seen in Moon Bog); Uuhn (F) rejoins
C6: go down again
Drow ambush the Party, sending Orc cannonfodder to attack from the rear via secret tunnels; lots of heavy-duty spells cast by both side (Lightning bolts, Cloudkill, etc); 4 of Bree’s Followers killed, and only 2 bodies recovered; Ell-as-newt alerts Swiness just before attack began, or would have been even worse
Party retreats to the observatory; Drow survivors return to scene of battle, and recover bodies of 2 Followers; cast Speak With Dead on them, and determine strength and motives of Party
C7: go down again, and the Dwarves collapse the staircase (coincidentally, only shortly before another Drow war-party arrived, knowing all about the Party ...)
return to observatory, and find 4 Giants waiting for them; Alcavron single-handedly kills one by means of swords; Caramyr kills one as well, by making the Giant slip and fall down the mountain
collect prisoners; Swiness fires 3 Lightning Bolts into the observatory, destroying it
C8: return to Dwarven outpost
C11: arrive in Khered-dur; Uuhn leaves, staying with the Dwarves; Arlan, Simon and his 5 surviving Followers leave for Siffjord

Training: Bree = WrC10, Halveig = F4 (trained mostly by Bree during adventure)

Surviving members: Bree (WrC10), Swiness (MU8), Simon (P6), Alcavron (F6/T6), Florelli (T7/F5/R3), Arlan (NtC7/T5), Ell-as-newt (WrC), Halveig (F4), Caramyr (MU3/Mk4), plus 5 Followers of Simon
New members: Caramyr, Uuhn
Retirees: Uuhn, Simon (to Road to Hel), Arlan (to Swordquest)
Casualties: 4 of Bree’s Followers
Surviving party: Bree, Swiness, Alcavron, Florelli, Ell-as-newt, Caramyr, Halveig

What do Simon and Arlan do now?

After Drow Observatory, Jarl Simon of Siffjord starts working on his political powerbase with the assistance of Arlan and the White Company (Simon’s close followers). Major rivals are Ingibjorn in Olafsvik and the Jarl of Freyvall. Simon increases his popularity, through tactics such as: offering free food to the peasants, having Arlan-as-a-fish locate schools of fish for the fisherfolk, and popularising his stupendous lifestory as a reborn legend. As well, Arlan begins a Thief & Spy Guild and Olaf starts a Fighters Guild.
By early 156, the Jarl of Freyvall has effectively surrendered leadership to Simon, while Ingibjorn becomes a strong ally of Simon and is made “Lady Marshall of the Western Marches” by Simon. His political position secure, he is thus is free to adventure for a while; and when Bree arrives in Siffjord in 156T27, he is ready to go with her on the Road to Hel.
Arlan, on the other hand, begins creating some excitement for James and Lanefan: Swordquest (see Book IX).

VII.4: Glacial Rift (155 Coirë 33 - 156 Tuilë 1; 1988 January - April)

Background and summary: In the Drow Observatory adventure, Arlan had determined the general location of a group of Giants that were aiding the Drow. The Party decides to deal with them now.

Starting members:
from Drow Observatory: Bree (WrC10), Swiness (MU8), Alcavron (F6/T6), Florelli (T7/F5/R3), Ell-as-newt (WrC), Halveig (F4), Caramyr (MU3/Mk4)
from Kumbu’s Caves: Gutezapre (WrC8)
from Desert Nomads: Baranfindel (NrC5/R5) (joins in partway)
New members: Hysstyr (NtC2), Sobhrach (NrC4/R3)

C15: Caramyr finds a flying snake for a Familiar; Hysstyr the Flugormr (NtC2) joins
C24: the Dwarves give the Party an unwelcome Barbarian; Sobhrach (a.k.a. “Sovrak”, NrC4/R3) joins
C26: leave Khered-dur; while travelling, Hysstyr becomes the Party’s aerial spy (now that Arlan is gone)
C33: after battling the weather and 10 Yeti, the Party arrives at the Giant’s complex
Gutezapre catches up with the Party; Gutezapre (WrC8) rejoins
battle some giants; Alcavron does 138 pts damage in one swing; 4 Giants, Gutezapre and Caramyr fall off a cliff, but G & C survive; then battle 9 Giants; Gutezapre raises 3 as Zombies, uses them as cannonfodder and decoys
C34: Party grinds their way into the complex, killing groups of Giants, Yeti and wolves
Gutezapre traps himself in a room with Giants; Gutezapre killed
Bree planeshifts to Vanaheim and has Gutezapre raised; they return the next day
C35: defeat 2 demons; leave by planeshift to West Anglia and Ikon for training and selling of booty; when arrive in Ikon, find out that the War is over

Training, C43-52: Caramyr = MU4/Mk5 (Swiness helps train), Hysstyr = NtC3

C54: return to Giants’ complex; kill some more Giants, a Remorhaz, and then 2 Dragons; have lunch while counting Dragons’ hoard
rescue Kalthain, a Storm Giant prisoner, who joins the Party for a while; Baranfindel arrives all of a sudden; Baranfindel (NrC5/R5) rejoins
C55: battle a herd of Giants; Sobhrach killed; battle 3 Ogre Magi
Party deduces that they have a Ring of Wishes; Swiness and Florelli work on translating the inscription in order to make it work
battle many more Giants and Ogres
battle 4 Giant Toads; Caramyr almost dies
C56: figure out that Glyphs of Warding left by Bree and Gutezapre all over the place have killed Giants
battle many more Giants; Kalthain dies
C57: last Giants flee the complex; Party ransacks the complex, but finds tunnels leading deep underground
C59: Gutezapre has cast so many Commune spells by this point, he has to wait at least 2 weeks before he can cast another
C60: Bree casts a Commune; find out that there are thousands of occupants underground in a Drow complex; Party wisely decides to call it a day and go home
156T1: to celebrate New Year’s day, the Party uses ring to cast a Wish spell and transports all the “non-Evil prisoners” held in the underground complex to the fields outside Ikon city; while freeing nearly 100 predictable captives (Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Sylph), they also unexpectedly free 133 Orcs, 215 Kobolds, 2 Drow, 2 Ogres, 2 woolly Rhinoceroi, 3 Mammoths, and 4 Wolverines
as well, the Party has a few downright unwanted guests they have to round up from the coutryside: a Yeti, 3 Ogres, 1 Giant Bear, 6 Ghouls, 1 Giant Lizard, 3 Basilisks, 1 Wyvern, 1 Otyugh, 6 Rust Monsters, 2 vicious Kobolds, and 3 angry Orcs
the Party asks Ikon city to deal with these beings they didn’t kill; the freed Orcs, Ogres and unskilled Kobolds are given to Ikon city, where they are put in work gangs in exchange for room and board; 25 elite Kobold warriors are hired by the town guard; as well, the Party is fined 225sp for damages done to farmers’ fields, and billed billeting expenses of 100sp/day for the next 10 days
just to bug Ell-as-newt, Swiness hires the lone rescued Hobgoblin as a henchling
for the time being, Florelli keeps the Mammoths and Rhinos
T2: Party returns to Giants’ complex for all the loot they couldn’t carry; return to Klungdur, where Baranfindel leaves; and then to Ikon, where Halveig leaves (and goes to New Tel Qa with Bree and retires); Swiness leaves, and after training retires to Eald

Training: Florelli = T8/F6, Caramyr = MU5, Hysstyr = NtC4, Alcavron = F7/T7, Halveig = F5, and Swiness = MU9

Surviving members: Bree (WrC10), Swiness (MU9), Gutezapre (WrC8), Alcavron (F6/T6), Florelli (T8/F6/R3), Ell-as-newt (WrC), Halveig (F5), Caramyr (MU5/Mk5), Hysstyr (NtC4)
New members: Hysster, Sobhrach
Retirees: Swiness, Baranfindel, Ell-as-newt (to Ragnarok); Halveig
Casualties: Sobhrach; (Gutezapre - raised)
Surviving parties:
1. Bree, Alcavron, Florelli (Road to Hel)
2. Caramyr, Hysstyr (Temple of Assai)
3. Gutezapre (Leopard’s Eye)