1. Kumbu’s Caves
2. The Vetii
3. Tyrgelai
4. Ikon Liberation
5. Pharaoh’s Tomb
6. Brunland (“Dwarfquest, part 1”)
7. Temple of Assai (“Dwarfquest, part 2”)
8. Leopard’s Eye

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

Note: “Be it resolved that Rob’s Dungeon be granted nothing at all other than ‘Bon Voyage’.”
— passed (7-0-1) by the University of Victoria A.M.S. Board of Directors in the Spring of 1987

VIII.1: Kumbu’s Caves (155 Lairë 39 - 47; 1986 December - 1987 Spring)

Background and summary: After the fall of Ikon (see end of Ikon Resistance), Valashi has moved to Mixos Island and tried to fight a guerilla was against Vridistan. When Tse, Gandalf, and Shauna arrive, and later Gutezapre, she has a vastly improved arsenal: Team Overkill. She sends them to Khiskos Island, as the rugged and sparsely populated east side has attracted the attention of special Vridi troops; she wants to know why, and put an end to it. The Party finds out that the Vridi are trying to stir up some local Orcs and Gnolls against the Human-controlled west side of the island; essentially to recruit them to be nuisances and cannonfodder. The local Orcs are nominally led by the sadist Kumbu, while the Gnolls are efficiently led by the unnaturally charismatic Gnolton Gnash (formerly of the Gnollish Broadcasting Corporation). The Party annihilates most of the Gnolls and Orcs, and leaves the remainder to mopped up by some local troops from Restenford.

Starting members:
from Lost Caverns: Tse (MU8), Gandalf (MU7/NtC2), Shauna (I5/T6), Femira (NtC7/T5)
fromIkon Resistance: Martin (R7)
from Death Trap: Eldor (MU4/R4)
from White Plume: Gutezapre (WrC8)

155L17: Tse, Gandalf, Femira, and Shauna (with the newborn twins) teleport to where ever Valashi has moved to — Mixos Island, as it turns out — and find out that Ikon has fallen; with Valashi are Donnamira (Femira’s C23 mentor) and Bruno, as well as Eldor; Eldor joins.
L18: Tse hires a nanny, Mari, and cook, Dikaiopolis
L19: while sailing to a neighbouring island, the Party plus Bruno are attacked by assassins and a Fireball-throwing Mage; the ship is sunk, Tse is almost killed, but the attackers are defeated. Speak with Dead reveals little beyond the fact that the assassins were on a specific assignment
L20: Tse sets up home in an abandoned villa on a different island; Gandalf scries his parents: father is rich in Tel Qa, mother (MU15/T18) is dead
Gandalf trains to NtC3
L25: Martin joins, having returned from a mission; he still with Kaija’s gem; his new friend Ciaran MacDougall (NrC3/R3) joins
L27: Tse and Gandalf take Valashi by Teleport to visit the southern continent (where they had briefly been during Lost Caverns), where she makes some Guild connections and creates a permanent Teleport site
L30: for some reason, someone gets Gutezapre from Klungdor; Gutezapre joins
L33: sail for Khiskos Island; but Femira stays behind; Femira leaves
L39: dropped off 8 km from enemy base
L40: wipe out guard house; capture the Part-Orc commander, Silverstreak (F6/A4) before he can commit suicide; find out they’re trying to stir up some local Orcs and Gnolls against the Human-controlled west side of the island; wipe out a few patrols
L41: go inland and find Gnash’s fort; at night, drop fireballs on fort, killing dozens of low-level Orcs & Gnolls
L42: again at night, drop fireballs, start a forest fire; Martin coordinates the making of a firebreak; most surviving fort occupants flee, regroup, and move to coast
L43: Party enter remains of fort and loot; find tunnels underneath ... and 2 wights; Shauna loses 2 levels, Martin loses 1 level; one of their charmed captives, who was used as cannonfodder, is turned into a Wight; Martin loses another level
L44: find Orc mines (Kumbu’s caves); Party splits up and does surveillance; in order to show Gutezapre where bulk of Party is, Tse has a charmed Orc hang Ciaran’s bagpipes up on a pole; Gutezapre flies in fast and skewers bagpipes with his 2-handed sword; Ciaran kills a different charmed Orc, and goes to retrieve the remains of his pipes; gets pinned down by 8 Orc archers; Party rescues Ciaran, kills 7 archers and captures 1; after fruitless questioning, Gutezapre lets the 1 go free, but Shauna kills it
Party proceeds to wipe out all Orcs; Kumbu and an Orc cleric flee down tunnels and escapes
that night, Gutezapre goes out looking for a person Martin spotted sneaking about; Gutezapre falls on him, find out he’s hunting Orcs: Curunir Caranthir Lord Caernarfon (A4) joins; despite being an Assassin
Party is caught off-guard, and ambushed by 14 Orcs; Orcs killed (4 by Curunir), but Gandalf and Martin killed
L45: Tse Teleports with corpses of Gandalf and Martin back to Valashi; Donnamira not there; Tse returns
Gutezapre and Ciaran fly to Restenford and reports all that Party has learned; army unit of hoplites (heavy infantry) dispatched overland; picks up a new, rather skeptical recruit: Torrie (F4/NrC3) joins
L46: return to Kumbu’s caves; find that most corpses have been raised as Zombies; dozens of Zombies and Orcs defeated; Party ploughs their way in, then gets trapped; use captured and charmed commander to talk their way back out
realising that organised Orc/Gnoll threat has been destroyed, and troops on their way, Party leaves for Restenford; troops lay seige to caves, and eventually defeat all remaining Orcs and Gnolls
L47: Party returns to Valashi (some by Teleport, some by broom); Femira rejoins
L48: Gutezapre tries, unsuccessfully, to cast Quest spell on Valashi; Gutezapre leaves

Training, L48-57: Eldor = MU5

L51: Donnamira arrives: Martin and Gandalf raised next day; Shauna gets 2 lost levels restored; Martin gets 2 levels restored, but cannot pay; thus owes years of service to Donnamira and so retires from adventuring; Martin leaves

Surviving members: Tse (MU8), Gutezapre (WrC8), Gandalf (MU7/NtC3), Shauna (I5/T6), Femira (NtC7/T4), Martin (R7), Eldor (MU5/R4); Ciaran (NrC3/R3), Curunir (A4); Torrie (F4/NrC3)
New members: Ciaran, Curunir, Torrie
Retirees: Martin, Gutezapre (to Glacial Rift)
Casualties: (Gandalf, Martin - both raised)
Continuing party: Tse, Gandalf, Shauna, Femira, Eldor, Ciaran, Curunir, Torrie

VIII.2: The Vetii (155 Yavië 9 - 18; 1987 Spring - July)

Background and summary: Shauna needs training, which she cannot obtain at Valashi’s villa. She decides to go to Hestia, and Valashi suggests the Party goes with her and do some politicking. Valashi’s Hestian contacts have told her that some Hestian leaders are interested in allying with the Hobgoblins who are sweeping the states around the desert to the north, not realising that they are secretly allied with Vridistan, which has been at war with Hestia. The Hestians need convincing that Vridistan and the Hobgoblins are a common and very dangerous foe.

While Shauna trains, the Party poses as wine merchants: Shauna (an “absentee owner”), Torrie and Tse all have business experience; Gandalf, Femira, Eldor, and Curunir are the crew, using their boating and freighting experience. They also hire a legitimate merchant, Murriné, who happens to have a small load of wine ready for shipping.

The Party meets senator Marcellus Scaurus, who is a friend of Valashi and a member of the Old Conservatives (the fading power block most friendly to Ikon and other Pelasgian states), and with whom Gutezapre had recently dealt. He informs them that the Hobgoblins have an embassy in Hestia, the Etruscan temple of Dispater is somehow involved, and the most recent vote in the senate was for neutrality. He directs the Party to spy on various of his clients (i.e. non-aristocrats allied to his family by custom) as well as a young and prominent senator named Tullius, all of whom he suspects are dealing with strange foreigners.

Starting members, from Kumbu: Tse (MU8), Gandalf (MU7/NtC3), Shauna (I5/T6), Femira (NtC7/T5), Eldor (MU5/R4), Ciaran (NrC3/R3), Curunir (A4) Torrie (F4/NrC3)

L53: Shauna leaves Valashi’s villa; arrives in Vetii 5 days later

Training, L59-Y15: Shauna = ?

meanwhile:
L56: Murriné the wine merchant arrives on Mixos; Party hires her
Y2: having increased Murriné’s wine hold, the Party sails for Hestia
L4: first stop is Lemnos, to get papers stamped
Y9: arrive in Vetii
meet senator Marcellus, his wife Livia (a merchant), and general Marius; Marcellus gets to the Party to spy on various of his clients which he suspects of Vridi connections
Y16: Party follows an Evil Etruscan cleric and his associates (2 more Clerics, 4 Hobgoblins, 13 Orcs, and a powerful magic-using Vridi general); Ciaran killed, Shauna and Torrie almost killed; general flees
Party reports back to Marcellus, and Tse scries the general: finds him killing various underlings including a Mind Flayer!
the general then strikes back with some tough friends: big battle on docks, Party’s boat is sunk by an aquatic Umber Hulk (which owed the general a favour); Party victorious, but general escapes
Y18: Party Teleports back to Valashi, having exposed enough Vridistan influence (and having destroyed enough of the city for one day); Ciaran raised by Donnamira a few days later
finally determine that the Vridi general is really a shape-shifting demon, and is the king of Grimlon (a province of the Vridi Empire); the Party wisely decides to leave him be, for the time being
Shauna leaves, Torrie leaves
find out that Martin is currently about 50 km west of Grimlon, busy rangering with 2 Elves
Y24: sail for forests of Ikon peninsula, so that Ciaran and Gandalf can get clerical training
meanwhile, back in Hestia, senator Marcellus exposes the Hobgoblin infiltration and traitorous behaviour of some Hestian commanders, including his former friend Marius (based on the information from the Party as well as that from Gutezapre); this results in Hestia officially entering into the War against the Hobgoblins
Y29: land on uninhabitated stretch of coastline, hike inland to the Elves

Training, Y32-43: Ciaran = NrC4, Gandalf = NtC4

Surviving members: Tse (MU8), Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Shauna (I/T), Femira (NtC7/T5), Eldor (MU5/R4), Ciaran (NrC4/R3), Curunir (A4); Torrie (F4/NrC3)
New members: none
Retirees: Shauna (to Ragnarok), Torrie (to Pharaoh’s Tomb)
Casualties: (Ciaran - raised)
Continuing party: Tse, Gandalf, Femira, Eldor, Ciaran, Curunir

VIII.3: Tyrgelai (155 Yavië 54 - Quellë 1; 1987 Fall)

Background and summary: The Elves of Ikon sense that something big is afoot, and that the Clerics at the great sanctuary of Artemis at Southtor know more. Thus the Party heads there. The sanctuary is still free of Vridi control, under an uneasy truce; for when Vridi troops struck and razed Southtor, and then moved on the Sacred Grove of Artemis, the invaders were slaughtered by a horde of flying ghosts led by Artemis Herself (i.e. the Wild Hunt).

The Party learns that strange events have been happening with growing frequency at the ancient citadel of Tyrgelai (the local seat of power nearly 1000 years ago, but abandoned centuries ago): ghostly walls are seen at night, lights in the sky, unnaturally fast clouds overhead, and rumbling underground. The Party goes to investigate, and finds Coronu the Lich busy resurrecting the entire citadel. She invites the Party to help her ambush the Vridi Emperor, whom she knows will be arriving very soon, and very angry. The Party agrees; the Emperor arrives with some Demons, raises dozens of skeletons from the ground, and attacks Coronu. While Coronu and the Emperor zap each other, the Party attempts to deal with the leftovers: the demons and the undead. Then Ivar the Great arrives out of the blue (last seen at the fall of Ikon, he was captured by 3 Demons and Gated away), and runs the Emperor through. The remaining Demons and undead are mopped up.

While everyone is overjoyed at the demise of the Green Emperor, it quickly becomes obvious that Ivar and Coronu both have every intention of becoming the local boss but are not at all on friendly terms. Coronu claims legal right to all of Ikon peninsula, as a former Vrdi empress, a descendant of the royal house of the Gryphon, and now as the wearer of the Crown of the Gryphon (something she obtained from a local grave, it would appear). Ivar’s claim to leadership is far more populist: he is not dead (a big advantage, in the eyes of the locals). The Party proposes that others get involved in the discussion, and quickly arrange for a conference of local important people; Coronu and Ivar agree. Unfortunately, the result proves to be indecisive.

Starting members, from Vetii: Tse (MU8), Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Femira (NtC7/T5), Eldor (MU5/R4), Ciaran (NrC4/R3), Curunir (A4)

Y43: Gandalf and Ciaran finish training with the Ikon Elves; Party given an unwanted Dwarf that the Elves have been trying to unload: Silk (NrC4) joins; Gandalf charms Silk
leave for the great sanctuary of Artemis at Southtor
Y48: avoid 2 green Dragons
Y49: arrive at Artemis Sanctuary, which is still free of Vridi control; talk with locals about the strange occurrences at the ancient citadel of Tyrgelai
Y50: leave for Tyrgelai
Y54: arrive; Femira flies over, sees sign of recent events (7 fresh Orc heads on stakes; ancient graves dug up); Party settles in and watches citadel
Y55: Party enters citadel, and attacked by 5 Owlbears; Silk and Ciaran almost killed; 2 more attack, and Silk and Ciaran killed, Eldor almost killed; Party leaves citadel
Y56: while Party rests, Tse teleports out with the 2 corpses, to take them to Donnamira; drops in on a secret conference, and is shot at; surprised to find (queen) Kaija there, hail and hearty; Ciaran raised, Silk fails to be revived
Y57: Tse returns with Ciaran; enter citadel again, get to megaron (the throne room)
meet “Sir Boldfellow”, a human knight in shiny armour; Ciaran challenges him and defeats him; while they battle, Femira finds an illusionist hiding nearby, controlling the knight; Skyboot Sharlineriel (I4) joins
a tornado passes through the citadel; “Kali”, a 6-armed Demon finds the Party, and brings them to her boss: Coronu the Lich (M21/NrC7; intelligence 20, wisdom 18); Party has a talk with Coronu
Y58: help Coronu set up ambush for the Emperor
Y59: the Green Emperor of Vridistan arrives; as he strides up the road to the citadel, dozens of skeletons and zombies rise from the ground in his wake; 3 Demons and 420 Orcs and Hobgoblins join him as well
facing this force are Coronu, “Kali”, 2 pet Stone Giants, and the Party; the Emperor goes straight for Coronu, and the two lock into an electrical firestorm; “Kali”, the Giants, and the Party take the 3 Demons (plus 2 more that Gate in during the battle), the horde of undead, and the small army
Ivar the Great (P23) arrives during battle, and smites the distracted Emperor to the ground: Vridi Emperor dies; the remaining Demons and undead are then destroyed; Coronu took some damage (including the loss of a ring plus finger), as did “Kali”; Tse’s right arm withered and Gandalf’s leg removed by the Emperor’s short sword (somebody promptly fixes these ailments)
Skyboot mesmorised by Ivar, and swears allegiance to him; rest of Party tries to figure out which of Ivar and Coronu they should support, as it becomes quickly obvious that these two heavyweights don’t get along
Y60: Party puts out the word to all high-ranking folk to meet at Tyrgelai for a major conference
Q1: the Conference; a vote is taken:
Ivar - 4, Coronu - 2, both - 2, neither - 3 . . . not conclusive
status quo becomes: Coronu is Empress of Ikon Peninsula, Ivar is her Warlord

Surviving members: Tse (MU8), Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Femira (NtC7/T5), Eldor (MU5/R4), Ciaran (NrC4/R3), Curunir (A4); Skyboot (I4)
New members: Silk, Skyboot
Retirees: none
Casualties: Silk; (Ciaran - raised)
Continuing party: Tse, Gandalf, Femira, Eldor, Ciaran, Curunir, Skyboot

VIII.4: Ikon Liberation (155 Quellë 2 - 8; 1987 October - November)

Background and summary: With the Emperor dead, and Ivar back from captivity by Demons, it only makes sense to liberate Ikon. So the Party sneaks into the city, contacts signficant people, rescues a few more, and creates a diversion while Valashi sails into the city with 10 warships. With forces on the inside and coming from the outside, and with the news of the Emperor’s death, the Vridi garrison crumbles. In celebration of their victory, Tybalt and Kiivo announce their engagement.

Starting members:
from Tyrgelai: Tse (MU8), Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Femira (NtC7/T5), Eldor (MU5/R4), Ciaran (NrC4/R3), Curunir (A4), Skyboot (I4)
from Lost Caverns: Khûrin (F4)
from Orb of Phaedra: Kiivo (R4), Tybalt (NrC2)

Note: also from Orb of Phaedra come Tylara (F6), Paxper (MU5/NrC5), Noynek (R5), Mercutio (R2); they participate in the liberation of Ikon, independent of the main party - see note following this adventure.

Q1: pick up a new member from Elves, Arlan’s sister: “Leaf” Lasgalin Shikibu (F4/T4) joins
that evening, Khûrin and 7 other Dwarves arrive from Kharall-dûm; Khûrin (F4) joins
Q2: Party discreetly enters Ikon; spread out, finding news and contacts
Q3: Curunir runs into problems with the Assassins Guild; rest of Party has to rescue; Khûrin bumps to F5
Q4: Tybalt (NrC2) and Kiivo (R4) join
sneak into caves beneath the Acropolis; spy around, find 2 Chimerai living there now; leave
Q5: sneak back into caves, avoid Chimerai, loot a treasury, but then meet a Shoggoth: Leaf killed
find various hostages, but run into a lot of guards; Gandalf and Khûrin killed
meanwhile, assault on Ikon by liberation forces begins, with Valashi fireballing everything
Q6: Gandalf, Khûrin and Leaf raised; last pockets of resistance defeated
have a ruined city to rebuild – Tse in particular invests her wealth:
• hires 100 locals to do general clean up of the city
• buys up the abandoned Blue Dragon Inn (with vintnery), spends 2500sp in renovations, hires 10 locals as staff, converts into a brothel & inn
• mostly takes over the running of the MU guild, as Valashi is becoming very busy with politics; offers subsidies for new apprentices

various rewards bestowed to Party, Valashi, and others; Ivar in particular rewards Valashi’s Mage Guild
Kiivo and Tybalt announce their engagement

Training, Q8-33: Tse = MU9, Ciaran = NrC5/R4, Eldor = MU6, Curunir = A5+A6, Tybalt = NrC3, Kiivo = R5, Khûrin = F5, Femira = T6, Skyboot = I5 (i.e. everyone trains but Gandalf)
Also, during training Skyboot discovers that she is psionic!

Q28: after training, Tse and Femira leave Party and retire; Tse occupied with spell research, guild management (with Valashi), inn/brothel management, island resort repairs and management
Q30: Trial: Khûrin murdered a city guard during the battle, and demands that justice be done; he is exiled 5 years from Ikon city, as well as fined 600sp (he pays 100sp more)

Surviving members: Tse (MU9), Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Femira (NtC7/T6), Eldor (MU6/R4), Ciaran (NrC5/R4), Khûrin (F5), Kiivo (R5), Tybalt (NrC3), Curunir (A6), Skyboot (I5); Leaf (F4/T4)
New members: Leaf
Retirees: Tse, Femira (and Khûrin exiled for 5 years); Tylara, Paxper, Noynek, Mercutio (see below; and Tylara eventually ends up going to Riveria with Lanefan, Helga, and Ell Kara - see Welcome to the Swamp II).
Casualties: (Gandalf, Khûrin, Leaf – all raised)
Continuing party: Gandalf, Eldor, Ciaran, Khûrin, Kiivo, Tybalt, Curunir, Skyboot, Leaf

Meanwhile . . .

The rest of the Party from Orb of Phaedra – Tylara, Paxper, Noynek, and Mercutio – continue the guerilla war against remaining Vridi troops in Ikon peninsula. They work out of the Elven forest, going on forays deep into enemy territory, including Grimlon city.

and Ivar’s War:
Q7: Ivar leads troops into Kharall-dum, and frees the city
Q10: Ivar’s army drives Vridi troops back to Grimlon, and lays seige to the city
H1: seige fails, and Ivar falls back to Kharall-dum
H2: a huge earthquake destroys much of Grimlon (courtesy of Coronu)
H5: last time anyone sees or hears from Coronu for quite a while
H22: nearly all of Ikon peninsula liberated
H24: Ivar and Valashi hold surprise wedding, and are crowned King and Queen of Tualyn (the western half of Ikon peninsula)
they also announce their intention to become Emperor and Empress of entire Vridi Empire (and thus compete with Coronu’s aspirations?)
H31: city of Highport laid waste by Pelasgian navy and troops, in revenge for decades of piracy and slavery – no prisoners taken (but many captives freed)
H35: surprise assault by Vridi troops on Maeganbald; the city flattened
H41: 17 Pelasgi ships vanish near Vridistan; sudden panic, as fear the Green Emperor has returned
H46: all Vridi states agree to a peace conference, to be held at Olympia
C1-15: a formal religious Truce is called
C5-12: the conference
Vridi throne represented by 2 rivals, an Evil insane cousin (MU10) of the deceased Emperor and a Evil nobleman (F8/MU9); the Demon king of Grimlon attends (see Vetii adventure); Queen Kaija represents the Elves of Ikon (Sidhshaimh); Tualyn represented by Ivar and Valashi
also present is one Crow: thought to be Coronu (but really one of the Marmon Hag – just curious)
and there is lots of squabbling
results:
No new Emperor agreed upon for Vridi Empire (Ivar made a big mistake by marrying Valashi, as it restricts his powerbase to Ikon peninsula; he should have married someone from another state)
Empire essentially splits into 3 parts: Ikon peninsula in the south and Attika in the north; Lakonia, Chalcoiea and Vridistan city; Argolis and Thygamos remain neutral and semi-allied to each other; Messenia is currently in revolt, and irrelevant for the time being
Ivar and Valashi remain king and queen of Tualyn; they toy with the idea of taking up the throne of Akhiyawa (the House of the Gryphon), which Coronu just revived at Tyrgelai, and become emperor and empress of just Ikon peninsula; this would mean a direct confrontation with Coronu, however, unless her recent silence actually indicates her departure from this world
but in the meantime, they have to deal with their loss of political momentum: Ivar was not the heir to the Tualyn throne, and not everyone there is keen on his bold leadership style . . .

VIII.5: Pharaoh’s Tomb (155 Hrivë 60 - Coirë 5; 1987 November - 1988 February)

Background and summary: Gandalf argues with Khûrin and kills him, with the assistance of Skyboot. As punishment, they are quested to find the Temple of Assai for Klanggedin. En route, they find a cursed pyramid and deal with it.

Starting members:
from Ikon Liberation: Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Eldor (MU6/R4), Ciaran (NrC5/R4), Khûrin (F5), Kiivo (R5), Tybalt (NrC3), Curunir (A6), Skyboot (I5), Leaf (F4/T4)
from Moon Bog 2: ‘Sheh (NrC8/R3)

Q30: ‘Sheh (NrC8/R3) and Annikki (R1/M0) join (Annikki is ‘Sheh’s personal servant, from Glantri)
party buys a boat, hires a crew, and sets off eastwards; but Khûrin not interested and leaves for the Dwarvenlands with his Dwarf companions; ‘Sheh and Gandalf capture Khûrin and carry him back; Khûrin protests when released at the boat, and gets into an argument with Gandalf; Gandalf gets confused by an illusionary Khûrin (created by Skyboot, just for fun), and starts shooting Lightning Bolts, which hit the real Khûrin, who then attacks Gandalf; Khûrin killed
Q35: Party takes Khûrin’s body to the Dwarves; Dwarven court intercedes, and finds half of the Party guilty of murder: Skyboot and Gandalf are condemned to death, ‘Sheh and Eldor are fined
Q37: Khûrin raised; he pleads for leniency for Skyboot and Gandalf, and gets it: death sentences are waived in favour of fines (for the price of the Raise spell, and for mischief); they are also Quested to a task for Klanggedin (“Dwarfquest”, dealt with in Temple of Assai); Torrie (F4/NrC3) joins again
Q42: all sail off again, through Hestian waters north along the coast
H51: arrive at small town along an otherwise desolate coast
Party buys camels, instructs boat crew to wait at least 45 days, and heads into the desert
H53: somehow have a Commune spell thrown, and find out about both the Pharaoh’s Tomb and the Temple of Assai
H60: meet the ghost of Amon-Re, who tells them of the curse he lay upon the land; come to the Tomb
meet the fanatics who live by the Tomb; diplomacy gets them invited to a banquet
Curunir, who is by training an Egyptian temple guardian, warns the Party against desecration; Khûrin, on the other hand, just wants money
C1: banquet with locals
that night, the Party sneaks into the Tomb
find secret entrance to misty maze; Gandalf explores alone, and finds a Lurker Above; Gandalf killed; Torrie also explores alone, and is never seen again; Torrie killed?
meet a friendly but lost inhabitant; Bowman (T4) joins
battle Minotaurs; Tybalt and Leaf killed
meet 3 more seemingly friendly but lost inhabitants: Dopplegangers in disguise
C2: Party caught by 13 Ghouls and 4 Wights, which were attracted to some hammering by Khûrin; Eldor paralysed, Curunir and Skyboot lose levels, Annikki almost killed by friendly fire;
remaining undead driven away, but only temporarily; at this point, Party has lost 4 members, only 2 are above 12 h.p., and the only functioning Mage is an illusionist, who is useless against undead
finally escape the undead, then caught by 2 Minotaurs
C3: finally find a place to rest up uninterrupted
C4: with all but Annikki healed up, Party continues; runs into 8 Ghouls, and half the Party is paralysed
meet a friendly local who is lost in the Tomb, and convince her (without actually saying what they are doing) that they are actually doing a good deed; Iaseda (NrC7) joins
meet more Wights; Bowman loses a level before they drive them off
meet a riddling Sphinx; solve the riddles and are not eaten
battle Munafik, the heartless and unkillable priest; ‘Sheh somehow stops his first fireball, and then Curunir puts him to sleep! Munafik is tied up, and carried along
defeat several magically created clones and a giant fist
find the funerary boat; Iaseda is finally informed that the Party intends to desecrate the Tomb in order to break the curse; she is finally convinced of the necessity when ‘Sheh relates what she saw and did at the dead city of Hilla, which to Iaseda was an omen come true
‘Sheh drops Munafik into the mural; he falls 3000m (10,000ft) and actually dies
Ciaran figures out how to exit the tomb room, and does so alone; he finds himself amongst some angry locals and is almost killed before the Party catches up and saves him
C5: Party fights their way out; Ciaran almost killed again, Khûrin killed; Iaseda intervenes, convinces the locals that the returning water in their spring is the doing of the Party, and gets safe passage for them
meet the ghost of Amon-Re, who thanks them and bestows a level of experience to every survivor
C6: Gandalf, Khûrin, Leaf, and Tybalt raised by a local Cleric; Gandalf and Tybalt bump but don’t train
C8: ‘Sheh and Annikki leave (but rejoin in Temple of Assai); Curunir and Iaseda leave, stay with locals; Ciaran leaves, heading to Noranglia (where he eventually joins up with Gandalf and James – see end of Swordquest)
Eldor, Khûrin, Kiivo, Tybalt, Skyboot, Leaf, and Bowman all Teleport to Ikon; Gandalf stays and preaches, revives a small temple to Isis, as compatible with Dannan

Training, C10-33: Tybalt = NrC4, ‘Sheh = R4?; also, Eldor begins Clerical training

C20: Khûrin, Leaf, and Bowman leave party, and stay in Ikon
Eldor, Kiivo, Tybalt, and Skyboot return by Teleport

Surviving members: ‘Sheh (NrC8/R4), Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Eldor (MU7/R5), Ciaran (NrC6/R5), Khûrin (F6), Kiivo (R6), Tybalt (NrC4), Curunir (A6), Skyboot (I5), Leaf (F4/T4); Annikki (R2/MU0), Bowman (T4), Iaseda (NrC8)
New members: Annikki, Bowman, Iaseda
Retirees: Ciaran, Curunir, Khûrin, Bowman, Leaf, Iaseda
Casualties: Torrie (presumed dead); (Khûrin [twice], Gandalf, Leaf, Tybalt - all raised)
Continuing parties:
1. Gandalf, Eldor, Kiivo, Tybalt, Skyboot (Brunland);
2. ‘Sheh, Annikki (Temple of Assai)

Where does ‘Sheh go?

‘Sheh takes an interest in acquiring a flying mount, after hearing about legendary creatures called Hippogryph. She and Annikki travel southwest, find a village with extensive Hippo knowledge, and find out that just about the only way to acquire a Hippo mount is to bond with it at birth. She thus buys 2 eggs with very good ancestry for 1150sp each. The eggs have a very long gestation period; these ones still have almost 1/2 a year to go, and are predicted to hatch on or about 156 Lairë 45. After being taught the basics of Hippo upbringing, they return to Glantri with the egg.

VIII.6: Brunland, or “Dwarfquest, part 1” (155 Coirë 23 - 156 Tuilë 8; 1988 March - July)

Background and summary: To find the Temple of Assai, the Party has to locate detailed information in Brunland.

Starting members, from Pharaoh’s Tomb: Gandalf (MU7/NtC4), Eldor (MU7/R5), Kiivo (R6), Tybalt (NrC4), Skyboot (I5)
New members: Belladonna (T4)

C20: Party regroups and is joined by a seemingly nice Hobbit: Belladonna (T4) joins
sail north along the coast; “Dwarfquest” is calling
C23: Party gets to Tingis and is attacked by Hobbit thieves; Party wins handily
meets Gloin, priest of Moradin; he tells the Party that they must find the last documents of Æleth the Ranger, likely to be found in the ruined temple of Kloppenburg
more Hobbit thieves attack the Party, as word of their wealth now precedes them
C37: arrive in Funen; check in with local guilds; Gandalf’s flamboyant magic use attracts the attention of the Assassins Guild
meet Shauna, who is looking for original music for some Gnome Tone acts; she tells them some local info and stays with them for a few days, but does not actually join the Party

Training, C37-C46: Gandalf = MU8

while Gandalf trains, the rest of the Party fends off the occasional pesky Assassin
C45: meet Gustaf Klassen, of the Order of the Three Roses and a Knight of the Realm, who when young was a messenger who knew Æleth the Ranger; Gustaf (Cv4) joins
Eldor forges a link between the White Star mages guild (a nearly outlawed arm of the official mages guild) and Valashi’s guild in Ikon; head of White Star visits Ikon, and is wined and dined by Tse
C49: arrive in Kloppenburg; Eldor surveys the new and old temples, pretending to be conducting research for a book he is writing
that night, Party sneaks into old temple and explores a bit
C50: enter at night again, go down to crypt; find Æleth’s papers, and battle some Gargoyles; Eldor and Gustaf nearly killed; Party retrieves body of Æleth as well and exits
Gandalf and Belladonna leave, teleporting to Ikon with the body; Gandalf arranges to have a Speak with Dead thrown on the body, to get more info; the spell fails, suggesting that Æleth’s spirit is not resting peacefully
meanwhile, Belladonna tries to rob Ikon blind; gets some loot, goes into hiding, and starts training
C53: head back to the coast, every now and then pestered by Assassins
C54: arrive in Berger, where they meet James (who knew of their whereabouts from talking to Shauna); James (F7) joins
C58: attacked by a patrol of Kuo Toa; Gustaf killed, after being slept by Eldor
156T1: Gandalf and Belladonna rejoin, after Teleport spell nearly kills them, due to Gandalf’s growing bad luck, which is due to his lack of haste with his Quest (Skyboot similarly afflicted)
get to the monastery, kill a few monks, steal a few things, then leave
T2: return to Berger; Belladonna infiltrates the monastery’s order; James and Eldor hire henchlings: Rosemund (F2) and Aemilia Scipio of Hestia (F1/T2) join
T3: return to monastery: James rushes the front gate, alerting the entire main level, and a big battle ensues; most occupants killed, including some innocents
Party progresses further into monastery; battle 9 Monks; Gandalf almost kills Eldor and Tybalt with a Lightning Bolt
Kiivo jokingly suggests to Skyboot that she explore a dangerous-looking pool; she does and Skyboot killed; but at least lots of captives are taken
Belladonna hangs a sign on front gate “Plague – Beware!”; this keeps returning Monks at bay for hours
T4: uncharm several non-Evil captives, make them look sickly, and park them at the front gate
T6: by this point, Gandalf so put off by Belladonna’s non-Good ways, he refuses to ever cure her
Eldor killed in battle with 3 Trolls; James almost killed in battle with a Lich (a Krughor); find on its body many strange gold sheets with writings in an unusual form of Khuzdul; there are references to a “Sleeping Army” in the Temple of Assai, with an ancient map (over 4500 years old) indicating where this is; but a crucial clue is recorded in the form of an obscure astronomical event
rescue someone: George Tookson (A4) joins
T7: clean up the monastery, burn corpses, and so forth
T8: leave monastery
T11: arrive in Tingis; Eldor and Skyboot raised
T17: arrive in Funen; talk to Sages about Krughor
T18: Teleport to Ikon

Training, T19-26: Belladonna = T5, Aemilia = T3

Surviving members: Gandalf (MU8/NtC4), Eldor (MU7/R5), Kiivo (R6), Tybalt (NrC4), Skyboot (I5); James (F7), Belladonna (T5), Rosemund (F2), Aemilia (F1/T3), George (A4)
New members: Belladonna, Gustaf, George
Retirees: none
Casualties: Gustaf; (Skyboot, Eldor - raised)
Continuing party: Gandalf, Eldor, James, Kiivo, Tybalt, Skyboot, Belladonna, Rosemund, Aemilia, George

VIII.7: Temple of Assai, or “Dwarfquest, part 2” (156 Tuilë 33 - Lairë 1; 1988 July - September)

Background and summary: Knowing the location of the Temple of Assai, the Party sets off to find it and deal with the ancient enemies of Klanggedin.

Starting members:
from Brunland: Gandalf (MU8/NtC4), James (F7), Eldor (MU7/R5), Kiivo (R6), Tybalt (NrC4), Skyboot (I5), Belladonna (T5), Rosemund (F1), Aemilia (F1/T3), George (A4)
from Pharaoh’s Tomb: Sheh (NrC8/R4), Annikki (R2/M0) (join partway)
from Return to Telenet: Rugor (F5) (joins partway)
from Glacial Rift: Caramyr (MU5/Mk5), Hysstyr (NtC4) (join partway)

T26: Teleport from Ikon back to Funen in Brunland
T34: arrive in Landau; Khartra the Hairy (F1) joins (a henchling of Skyboot)
most of Party visits mages guild to get info on Temple of Assai; find out that a lot of Sages have been murdered recently, especially ones that specialise in astronomy, which is what the Party needs help with; George and Belladonna steal a few things while there
that night, George and Belladonna squabble with James and Gandalf, to the point that the innkeeper calls the night patrol and has them arrested
T38: Judge Cynwise the Bored fines the four various amounts, and releases them
‘Sheh and Annikki meet Eldor; ‘Sheh (NrC8/R4) and Annikki (R2/M0) rejoin; ‘Sheh has spent most of the time since she left the party after Pharaoh’s Tomb tracking very suspicious followers of Ptah (they are far from home, and searching for something in the nearby desert, which is far too familiar to what ‘Sheh encountered at Hilla), and found that the Party has been looking for the same Sages that the Ptahists were talking to and then executing
George and Belladonna find them as well, and try unsuccessfully to rob them; later that day, George follows Annikki while she’s monitoring someone and attacks her: Annikki killed
T40: Party realises Annikki is missing
Eldor has a Woden cleric cast Commune spell and finds out that:
• the “sleeping army”, as mentioned in the gold sheets found on the Lich (see Brunland) is one of Krughors (an ancient race related to Dwarves and Giants);
• their purpose is to serve Hastur (the same unpleasant deity that ‘Sheh had to deal with at Hilla)
• to stop them, the Party must find and destroy the Rod of Many Planes
that night, 15 Assassins attack the Party in their inn (hired by Ptahists); Rosemund almost killed, 5 attackers flee
‘Sheh finds some belongings of Annikki with the attackers, tracks the escaped Assassins to another inn; she and Gandalf bash their way in, trash a room or two, and then find Annikki’s body; ‘Sheh casts Speak with Dead, and finds out who killed her
when ‘Sheh returns, she catches George breaking into her room; Detect Lie incriminates him, but he pleads drunkedness
Eldor bribes to postpone court date so that a hanging judge does not preside
T41: Annikki raised
T42: Party meets Ell Somita, a Hobgoblin general whose troops are garrisoned in Landau (Brunland is a reluctant ally of the Hobgoblins); Ell Somita explains that the Hobgoblins are aware that the Party is searching for Assai, as are some other very undesireable beings whose motives the Hobgoblins suspect are dreadful; so he tells the Party some old Hobgoblin legends that may help, and offers to give cover to the Party when they leave town . . . for powerful allies of the others are expected imminently
James asks Ell Somita to kill George; Ell takes George, and that is the last anyone ever saw of him; George killed (executed)
Party also meets Rugor and Ricula; Rugor had been a servant for a Brunland general held hostage in Noranglia for half a year, and only recently returned (had heard of Party’s activities in Brunland adventure, and tracked down Gandalf); Rugor (F5) and Ricula (F4) join
Eldor finishes constructing (to the limit of his level capability) his Rune Staff
T43: Party leaves town, and sees strange and obviously hostile humanoids (including some strange cowled beings, which ‘Sheh met at Hilla) battling the Hobgoblin garrison; they sneak around the battle site and goes south, to find the Temple of Assai
Party is followed by Ashe; Eldor spots and catches Ashe; Ashalion (aka Ashe, T4) joins; no one notices that the Party is also followed by two less pleasant folk (A7 and Mk7/MU2)
T44: in grasslands, attacked by 10 Thri-Kreen; ‘Sheh killed by Gandalf’s spells; Tybalt, Belladonna, Rosemund, and Ricula almost die
Eldor teleports with ‘Sheh’s body (and a lot of Gandalf’s money) to Ikon, to Sito: ‘Sheh raised
meanwhile, Party gets to general area of Temple, and begins to search for clues; that night, spots activity and Gandalf as bird flies to investigate; see 6 people and an excavation site
T45: spy on excavators’ camp
‘Sheh meets Sinetta, and they reminisce about being killed by Gandalf; ‘Sheh also leaves a downpayment of 5000sp on a suit of +5 Plate Mail (worth 28000sp)
T46: Eldor and ‘Sheh return to Party
T47: Party attacks part of excavators’ group; dissect the cowled humanoids and find they have no brain (... on this plane, as they are multi-planar beings); their mounts are also pretty strange – Kiivo and Tybalt recognise them are resembling Sellesi, the Puppeteer (they are barbarian Puppeteers: carnivorous, not too bright, but vicious)
T48: spend hours digging (magically and mundanely) at a site that seems right, and then finally find a huge gold-coated iron door with a puzzling lock mechanism; they cannot figure out how to open the door, and break it open, almost killing Eldor in the process
promptly go down; explore caverns (and unknowingly lose the 2 followers); battle a Shoggoth: Rosemund and Khartra killed
T49: find the buried Temple of Assai; find some old friends trying to get in: Caramyr (MU5/Mk5) and Hysstyr (NtC4) join
T50: get completely stuck; Gandalf teleports to Ikon, has Valashi create a scroll of Disintigrate, and returns to use it
T51: Eldor killed; Eldor raised minutes later by ‘Sheh, somehow
Party meets a Flesh Golem; Skyboot figures out how to control it; James doesn’t like it anyway and attacks it, but Skyboot steps in the way and tries to prevent; Skyboot killed
meanwhile, Belladonna slips Gandalf some LSD, and puts him to sleep
T52: Skyboot raised elsewhere, having been flown out by Caramyr; she stays to recover
battle an Aerial Servant; Ashe killed
T53: Party recovers; somehow meets a noisy Dwarf Bard: Bofur (B4) joins; Skyboot discreetly rejoins Party, while invisible
T54: ‘Sheh and Caramyr meet Aineli in a trap; they escape; Aineli (Cv9/WrC4) joins
T55: get to the multi-planar room with the Sleeping Army of hundreds of Kurghans; study it and then leave
T56: return to the room and try to destroy the Rod of Many Planes; first part is successfully broken, but Party forced to flee
T58: second part is sloppily broken, allowing 10 very tough Kurghans to escape; Aineli forced to hold off most of them alone, while rest of the Party caught off guard and does nothing; Skyboot is the first to come to her aid, thus revealing her presence for the first time in several days
T59: remaining parts are successfully and safely broken; in all, 120 Kurghans killed
L1: leave Temple by Teleport to various places:
‘Sheh, Eldor, Annikki, and Aemilia to ‘Sheh’s Savola keep (in Glantri); Annikki and Aemilia leave
rest to Ikon city; but Gandalf and James leave and go to Noranglia; while Kiivo, Belladonna, Tybalt and Ricula leave, staying in and about Ikon
Gutezapre present, and takes Bofur to Klungdur; Bofur retires, staying there

Training, L3-L33: Skyboot = I6 (trained by Shauna), Rugor = F6, Tybalt = NrC5, Caramyr = MU6 (trained by Tse), Hysstyr = NtC5, Kiivo = R7, Ricula = F5, Annikki = R3, James = F8, Gandalf = NtC5, ‘Sheh = NrC9, Bofur = B5, Eldor = NrC0; also Caramyr gets some psionic training

Surviving members: ‘Sheh (NrC9/R4), Gandalf (MU8/NtC5), Eldor (MU7/R5/NrC0), James (F8), Rugor (F6), Kiivo (R7), Tybalt (NrC5), Caramyr (MU6/Mk5), Hysstyr (NtC5), Skyboot (I6), Annikki (R3/MU0), Belladonna (T5), Aemilia (F1/T3); Ricula (F5), Bofur (B4), Aineli (Cv9/WrC4)
New members: Khartra, Ricula, Ashalion (aka Ashe), Bofur, Aineli
Retirees: Gandalf and James (both to Swordquest), Kiivo, Tybalt, Annikki, Belladonna, Aemilia, Ricula, Bofur
Casualties: George, Rosemund, Khartra, Ashe; (‘Sheh, Eldor, Skyboot, Annikki - all raised)
Continuing party: ‘Sheh, Eldor, Rugor, Caramyr, Hysstyr, Skyboot, Aineli

VIII.8: Leopard’s Eye (156 Lairë 41 - 51; 1988 September - 1989 March)

Background and summary: ‘Sheh informed that problems lie to the south of Glantri, in the wildlands. Among other things, there are rumours of Hobgoblin and Drow activity. The Glantri army is concerned, and assigns the task of investigation to ‘Sheh; a minor officer by the name of Sulime is to accompany her as official liaison.

Starting members:
from Temple of Assai: ‘Sheh (NrC9/R4), Rugor (F6), Eldor (MU7/R5/NrC0), Skyboot (I6), Caramyr (MU5/Mk6), Hysstyr (NtC5), Aineli (Cv9/WrC4)
from Glacial Rift: Gutezapre (WrC9)
from G Series: Purto (M7/NrC2)
New, from Glantri: Sulime (Cv4), plus troop of 14 (soldiers & support)

Preliminaries:
155H44: While returning from Northcoast, Haldir is killed by Ragnar; Bree takes the corpse to Vanaheim and has him raised in exchange for his Ring of Invisibility; he is also Quested to kill a Dragon in Norbotten
H45: arriving in Norbotten, Haldir rounds up some assistance: a Human NrC5/MU2 (Odinn), a Dwarf F8, a Human F7, and an Elf F5/T4
H54: they kill the Dragon; get rewards from locals; Sif, in disguise, gives back Haldir his Ring of Invisibility; Haldir trains to MU5
C35: Party boats towards Glantri, following a suspicious Hobgoblin troop; soon lose the trail
C57: arrives in Glantri with his party (less the F7): first town is Savola, where ‘Sheh has her keep
C60: arrives in Tallinn, which becomes the “home base” for a while
156T3: joins up with a Glantri spy party, as they’re heading off to investigate that Hobgoblin troop; annihilate a troop of 65 Orcs left to guard the Hobgoblin boats, but cannot find the Hobgoblins
T10: Party returns to Tallinn; then sets off for Rikkisuo (the “Broken Lands”), to see if they can find the Hobgoblins; they find rumours of their activities, in particular some dealings with a very dangerous tower called Leopard’s Eye; but are incapable of getting anywhere close to the tower without being attacked by hordes of Orcs and other nasties
L30: Party eventually returns to Tallinn, reports all that they found, and disband; Haldir trains to F6, and then joins the Road to Hel adventure

156L: Party gradually assembles at Savola (the town in Glantri nearest ‘Sheh’s keep); Sulime (Cv4) joins, and brings tactical information from the Glantri army
L41: Party heads off to Rikkisuo, into the valley of the Tower
L45: attack various Orc patrols; Sulime killed by a Fireball; Sulime raised by ‘Sheh
L47: via Plane Shift, Gutezapre and Sulime round up a lot more troops
L48: attack several Drow, then a demon
Party receives an unexpected invitation to the Tower by Anto (a Vampire, as it turns out)
L49: via Plane Shift, Gutezapre recruits an old friend from Hestia; Purto (M7/C2) joins
L49-50: Gutezapre, Caramyr, Hysstyr, and Purto enter the Tower; they join in the negotiations between some Drow and Hobgoblins, mediated by the Esthanna, a Vampire: G blabs, C interprets, Purto watches, H invisible? The Drow want Hobgoblin technology (especially magic dampening) and astronomical info; the Hobgies want more allies, especially magic-using ones; the Vampires merely want their fee, plus some blood

meanwhile: ‘Sheh Planeshifts back to her keep and rounds up 2 swat teams (6 M/Th’s etc; 6 F’s)
and: 2 Hippogryph eggs hatch back at the keep, ‘Sheh and Eldor try to bond (and Skyboot tries to, too)

L51: negotiations continue, with ‘Sheh and Skyboot having joined in disguised as (rival) Drow;
suddenly the swat teams, Eldor, Rugor, Sulime, and Aineli all arrive and a big battle commences

The Battle: Gutezapre, Skyboot and Eldor first to fire; Aineli loses a level; ‘Sheh “suggested” to sit out
kill 2 of the 3 (remaining) Drow: Sheehu (MU5) and Tilla (F4/T4);
Misa (MU7) flees, then caught and killed by swat team
kill 12 of 13 Hobgies: C5, MU6, F8, C5, C4, C5, F6, F6/T6, MU4, A9, Mk8, A3 (PElf translator)
leader Zoddric (F12/MU3) captured by means of a Snake Sigil
defeat 2 Vampires, Esthanna (MU10+) and Lomendil ... but do not destroy them

afterwards: ‘Sheh takes party by Plane Shift to Elfland, where they meet her deity, Corellon Lorethian; Corellon turns Zoddric the Hobgoblin into a butterfly, restored Aineli’s lost level, and (gasp!) heals Gutezapre
the Party then returns to Savola, with lots of Drow and Hobgoblin booty to sell; ‘Sheh and Eldor leave, retiring to the running of Savola keep; Aineli leaves, and hangs out with ‘Sheh and Eldor for a while; Sulime leaves, returning to report back what was learned and accomplished
Purto is returned to Hestia by Gutezapre; Purto leaves

Training and treasury, into early Yavie: Eldor = MU8/R6, Aineli = WrC5
also, Caramyr matters: pays Valashi 3,000 (plus interest, as part of his 20,000 debt to her), trains in Telekinesis-6, Body Equilibrium-7
also, Skyboot matters: trains in Resist D-3, Domination-3; fails to improve Teleport-3

Surviving members: ‘Sheh (NrC9/R4), Gutezapre (WrC10), Rugor (F6), Eldor (MU8/R6/NrC1), Skyboot (I6), Caramyr (MU5/Mk6), Hysstyr (NtC5), Aineli (Cv9/WrC5); Sulime (Cv4), Purto (M7/NrC2)
New members: Sulime
Retirees: ‘Sheh, Eldor, Sulime, Purto, Aineli (to Dogar Marsh)
Casualties: (Sulime - raised)
Continuing Party: Gutezapre, Rugor, Skyboot, Caramyr, Hysstyr