1. Swordquest
2. The Road to Hel
3. Dogar Marsh (“To Rescue a Prince”)
4. Ragnarok (“156: A Space Oddity”)
5. Niflheim ("Dafan II")
6. Back in Time (“Dafan III: Fixing a Space Station”)
7. Cybal in Gordieland ("Dafan IV")

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

IX.1: Swordquest (156 Lairë 43 - Hrivë 31; 1988 Fall)

Background: Arlan is bored and decides to add some excitement to the lives of Lanefan and James, the two warriors who have most craved the Sword of Healing.

Starting “members”:
from Drow Observatory: Arlan (NtC7/T5)
from Northcoast Liberation: Lanefan (F7), Helga (T7/F4)
from Temple of Assai: Gandalf (MU8/NtC5), James (F)

Preamble:
154C33: Arlan leaves the Party in Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, with a magic longsword she stole from Gandalf; she flies to Noranglia, adventures there for a while, and then begins scrying Lanefan
155T51: Arlan finds Lanefan, who is busy planning a holiday and wedding with Helga, and discreetly steals the Sword of Healing and replaces it with Gandalf’s sword, which bears a passing resemblance to the former; also leaves with him a taunting poem (signed “MS”), informing him that he is now cursed with impotence
Signy tells him that this new sword belongs to Gandalf, so Lanefan (with assistance from Swiness) finds and confronts Gandalf about the sword swap; Gandalf successfully avoids him and also makes Lanefan question his assumption as to the thief and then deduce it was Arlan; Gandalf, on the other hand, is prompted to find out about his missing magic sword, and finally learns that Arlan was the thief; she, in the meantime, has taken the Sword to a famous Elven Smith in Nordbotten, and has the hilt of the Sword remade to look like a cheap sword
155Q: the Sword having changed hands a few more times, Arlan takes it to the Elven Smith and has the hilt of the Sword remade again, this time to be a copy of another magic sword (1038) which coincidently has a very similar blade; she also has that second sword made into a Sword of Healing (at considerable expense)
155C: she then returns to Noranglia with the two swords; the real Sword of Healing she hides in an old forest; the other sword she gives to Helga, who passes it on to Lanefan

156Y18: after Gutezapre’s Reunion, Arlan and Lanefan return north via boat; on the way, they meet serious, magical doldrums and storms at sea. To escape a 350' maelstrom, Arlan sacrifices some of Lanefan’s wealth (a magical sword and 2600sp) and is blessed with a flower that turns into a powerful outboard motor
Arlan and Lanefan finally arrive in Wolsingham; she then steals back the second sword (once she figures out that “Olaf” and Lanefan are one and the same) and sacrifices to Luthien, asking Her to do something “creative” with it, which She does; Arlan returns to Lanefan and tells him that she gave the Sword of Healing away, but that it can be found in an ancient forest near Briddlin, where James is now headed; after warning him of the xenophobic Elves who reside there, Arlan departs

Y38: Lanefan finds Helga and together they enter the Elven forest; after some setbacks and getting separated, Lanefan finds some Willow trees; after 3 of them – Old Man Willow, Niece, and Nephew – nearly beat him to a pulp, Lanefan finds an immense and ancient tree – the Dream Tree – and swipes a nice long sword which is dangling from it (the resident Dryad does not object, having been told of his quest by Arlan)
Lanefan quickly determines that it can heal him, and concludes that he has found the Sword of Healing! however, the sword seems to have changed in two ways: the hilt is noticeably different, and every time he draws the sword annoying sayings glow in the air above his head (such as “Grade A #1 Heal Sword”, “Easy pickings”, and “Beat me, hit me, show me you care”)

meanwhile:
156L1: James and Gandalf finish the Temple of Assai adventure, and return to Noranglia for training
L42: James, having learned from Gandalf that Arlan had recently stolen the Sword of Healing from Lanefan, and now learning that Arlan is in the large Elven forest near Briddlin, heads that way with Gandalf
L46: James and Gandalf enter the forest, but get separated; Gandalf meets Grugach and has a brief conversation, then determines that James cannot be found even by magical scrying
James first meets Asterixiksagzo the Quickling, who gleefully pilfers a few things from James
James then meets Obelixeferis the Green Dragon (alignment NNN: Nasty when aNNoyed): Obe had fallen asleep 7 years ago, and has since grown a lot of moss as well as a huge mushroom on his nose; James walks right onto Obe’s nose, and wakes him up; they have a brief battle, in which James nearly dies but is victorious
beneath the dead Dragon James finds a very nice sword, which looks quite like the Sword of Healing but with a different hilt; it has an unfamiliar scabbard with some nice script; but unfortunately, James is illiterate so he cannot read it (the Sword was slipped under the Dragon by Luthien)
James tries to retrace his steps, but finds himself lost

Lanefan and James meet up, compare tales and new swords, and find that they are nearly identical and both can Heal; so while they thought they were racing each other to find the Sword of Healing, they seem each to have found one! there are some puzzling differences, however: the hilts are not what they remember the Sword of Healing having, Lanefan’s sword produces glowing messages above his head every time he draws it, while James’s has a curious inscription on its scabbard:

“The Wielder of this Sword has the true-born title to the lands surrounding the village of Gwllwn, in the name of the crown of [Welsh Royal Family]”

they also compare calendars, and discover that something is wrong; for James thinks that it is Lairë 47 while Lanefan thinks it is Yavië 40; they also cannot find the Dragon that James had killed
they eventually make their way out of the forest, meet some Elves, and find out that almost 500 years have passed since they entered the woods
641Q18: arrive in Gwllwn; find a huge but aged castle (closely resembling what James had been dreaming of building), but no one knows who James is or believes his claim to have built the castle; Lanefan also discovers that he is no longer impotent
Q20: finally determine that a stone circle on a hill near the forest is the key to their return, but that they must be there at full moon (i.e. in 10 days); rush back, buying new horses every 3 days
Q28: arrive at nearest town; bribe a Sage to tell them what to do, and then head for the forest
Q30: ascend hill at 3 pm; that evening, some Spectres visit and laugh at them;
Lanefan offers to Sif 4 nice long swords and a magical longsword, while James offers to Danann a fingerbone from a deceased companion (Ashe, from Temple of Assai adventure) plus his horse if it dies within a year
Lanefan’s offering is accepted, and he is returned to his original time; James’s offering is refused
156Y41: Lanefan enters the forest and finds Helga, who thinks she lost Lanefan just the day before

meanwhile:
James realises that he is still in the future, now without Lanefan, and returns to the nearest town and gets more advice
H30: on the next full moon, he returns to the hill and offers a magic potion and Ashe’s bone
this time it works, and James returns to his original time
156H31: James exits the forest
H40: he arrives in Wolsingham, and meets up with Gandalf and Ciaran; Gandalf has been busy setting up a major Danu Temple and seminary in Wolsingham, complete with Greek and Elvish teachers
H42: James arrives at Gwllwn, and learns of the Stafford family and the history of the Stafford Sword, which was built 700 years ago as the symbol of rulership for the Stafford family; the last wielder was William Stafford, who vanished 170 years ago; with the Sword lost, the family lost the right to rule, moved away and faded away
H46: James visits the current monarch at Wolsingham, 12-year old Queen Elsa; while no one is able to verify whether or not the sword is authentic, the scabbard is deemed so; and so James is formally granted the right to the lands described on the Sword (i.e. the ancestral land of the Stafford family)
C15: surveyors arrive to survey the land; James starts to make a good name for himself among the locals; he also hires various people (a scribe, engineer, surveyor, sherriff, an extra cleric,etc.) starts construction on his 85,000sp castle complex

Surviving “members”: Arlan (NtC7/T5), James (F), Lanefan (F7), Helga (T7/F4), Gandalf (MU8/NtC5)
New members: none
Retirees: Arlan (to Dogar Marsh), James, Lanefan (to Ragnarok), Helga, Gandalf (to Back in Time)
Casualties: none
Continuing party: none

IX.2: The Road to Hel (156 Tuilë 55 - Yavië 10; 1988 May - 1989 February)

Background and summary: Bree decides that it is time to go to Hel and bring Astacoe back. Gutezapre thinks that this is foolish, and tries to dissuade her. When he fails, he has a Wish cast to bring Astacoe back. While Astacoe appears as wished, as he was when he died (an F4), this is actually a clone; the “original” is still in Hel. So Bree rounds up some old friends and goes anyway in order to retrieve that “original” Astacoe, who has aged and advanced ever since. The Party enters Niflheim, finds Astacoe, battles their way towards an exit of that plane (at which point they can safely attempt a Plane Shift); but just past that point, Astacoe is killed. The expedition is not a complete fiasco, as a large number of mortal Dwarves were discovered trapped in Niflheim, and most of them live to be brought out. As well, Bree had been assigned a task by Forseti, that of retrieving a stolen necklace; guided by her axe, the Party finds and recovers the necklace (as well as the thief, King Snurre of the Fire Giants).

When the Party returns to Dafan, they go to the burial site of Astacoe, on Ikon peninsula, and resurrect him from his remains. Meanwhile, the cloned Astacoe is sent on his way by Gutezapre back to Neidra.

Starting members:
from Glacial Rift: Bree (WrC10), Alcavron (F7/T7), Florelli (T8/F6/R3)
from Drow Observatory: Jarl Simon (Cv6/WrC3) (joins part way)
from Ikon Resistance: Queen Kaija (MU7/F7)
New members: Gudrun Silvertongue (B3/F4)

156T3: Bree and Halveig take one of the Mammoths rescued from Glacial Rift and ride to Tel Qa
T6: arrive at Maegenbalt; Bree hires a Bard to spread the tale of Åsa and Bree; Gudrun (B3/F4) joins; Bree immediately acquires 5 new Followers
T9: meanwhile back in Klungdor, Gutezapre uses a Wish in order to bring Astacoe back to life; what he doesn’t realise is that he has cloned Astacoe, leaving one in Niflheim; thus Astacoe II created
T17: meet some Vridi patrols who take exception to Bree and her Mammoth; the patrols are destroyed, but Gudrun (?) and one Follower are killed
T19: arrive in New Tel Qa; Halveig retires; Bree receives a modest triumph; finds that her reputation and honour has finally clearly surpassed that of her sister (who has always remained near to home); hires a local Bard to spread the tale of her deeds
T21: return to Ikon by Planeshift; visit with Queen Kaija of the Elves; find out she recently lost a child in birth, and itching to go out and kill some things to help erase the memory; Kaija (MU7/F7) joins
T22: Bree goes to Siffjord by Planeshift, and recruits Simon
goes to Klungdor in order to recruit Gutezapre; he isn’t interested, and instead introduces Bree to the Astacoe he brought back to life with a Wish spell – big surprise!
they then determine that another Astacoe still resides in Niflheim; Bree still adamant to rescue him
T24: Bree returns to Ikon and gets 2 Mammoths and 3 Woolly Rhinos, 2 tons of food, and Kaija
T27: arrive at Siffjord with 2 Mammoths, 3 Rhinos and Kaija; wait for Simon to be ready to leave
Bree is informed by Forseti that she can pay off her debt to Him while in or near Niflheim by retrieving a stolen necklace of His; her axe will be her guide to the necklace
T29: Bree uses Planeshift to take Lanefan to Klungdor, in anticipation of Gutezapre’s Reunion (on L18)
while in Klungdor, Bree rounds up some more people: Alcavron (F7/T7) and Florelli (T8/F6/R3) join
T36: Jarl Simon (Cv6/WrC3) joins; depart via Plane Shift for the northern shore of Bökn Sea; boat to the northwest most of islands, and sailed west
T55: reach a sandy beach (with another boat beached), and row up-river
T57: defeat a Red Dragon; Gudrun and Simon almost killed
lots of ghosts wander by the Party each night
L2: Gudrun and Florelli severly injured by a green Dragon’s chlorine breath
L5: bribe way past Modgud and enter Niflheim
Bree, Gudrun, Simon and Alcavron enter Hel’s Hall; Bree offers her Axe for permission to take Astacoe
L6?: Party heads up a mighty cliffside in order to find an exit from Niflheim
meet 3 Dwarves and Astacoe: Astacoe (F6), Farin (F3), Kili (NrC5) and Heidi (F6) join; battle many giants for days
L7?: Florelli killed; meet a lost Dwarven army of 92 from the world of Narholm
L8?: Astacoe killed, just past the border of Niflheim
L9?: Party figure out they’ve actually left Niflheim, and Plane Shift to Siffjord
L14: find out Time moved at 1/2 rate in Niflheim, and the date later than expected
L15: Florelli raised; but attempt to raise Astacoe fails
L17: arrive at New Tel Qa, find bones of Astacoe (first burial), and Astacoe resurrected via scroll
Astacoe revived as F6, with brown and green eyes, and proficiency with Scimitar not dagger - oops.
Bree gives Astacoe Potion of Longevity, restores him 8 years.
L18: return to Siffjord

Training break, L18-L32: Bree = WrC11, Astacoe = F7, Gudrun = B4/F5, Farin = F4

L26: Meanwhile, rescue mission for the 70 Dwarves remaining in Niflheim; Caramyr (MU5/Mk6) joins, while waiting for another party to deal with Leopard’s Eye; Gutezapre, Bree, and Caramyr use Plane Shift to ferry them out from the exit spot they found
L32: travel to Klungdor and regroup; Florelli and Alcavron leave and retire back to Ikon, while Simon leaves and goes to rule over his jarldom in Siffjord; Bree, Gudrun, and Kaija are all that remain
L54: Gutezapre (WrC9), Rugor (F6), Skyboot (I6), Haldir (F6/MU5/T6), and Hysstyr (NtC5) join

More training, L55-Y6: Gutezapre = WrC10

Y9: go back to tackle the Giants
Bree and Rugor killed fighting cloud giants; Rugor raised
Y10: Gutezapre, Caramyr, and Astacoe sneak off to the Dwarf Plane: Bree raised by Ki-Piddli
Kaija offended by this, and quits party; Kaija leaves, retiring to her regal domain on Ikon peninsula
Haldir, Skyboot, Caramyr and Hysstyr go to Marovia

Training: Haldir = T7

meanwhile: Tse and Gandalf in Brunland, interrogated by Elves concerning some accident with fireballs

Y10: Caramyr, Hysstyr, and Florelli go back to the Fire Giants, and steal King Snurre (in stasis) and the Necklace of Justice (stolen from Forseti). Give King and Necklace to Forseti Temple, as sacrifice

Training: Hysstyr = NtC6; Caramyr trains in psionics to Blast-4 (and pays off remaining debt to Valashi)

Farin, Kili, and Heidi leave, retiring in Klungdor; Astacoe leaves, retires,and eventually gets engaged to Bree; Gudrun leaves, and continues his wandering minstrel gig, singing the praises of Bree and her heroic companions

Surviving members: Bree (WrC11), Gutezapre (WrC10), Alcavron (F7/T7), Rugor (F6), Simon (Cv6/WrC3), Kaija (MU7/F7), Astacoe (F7), Florelli (T8/F6/R3), Haldir (F6/MU5/T7), Skyboot (I6), Caramyr (MU5/Mk6), Hysstyr (NtC6), Gudrun (B4/F5), Farin (F4), Kili (NrC5), Heidi (F6)
New members: Farin, Kili, Heidi
Retirees: Kaija, Astacoe, Alcavron, Simon, Florelli, Gudrun, Farin, Kili, Heidi, Astacoe II (eventually to Decast)
Casualties: (Florelli, Astacoe, Bree, Rugor - all raised or resurrected)
Continuing party: Bree, Gutezapre, Rugor, Haldir, Skyboot, Caramyr, Hysstyr

IX.3: Dogar Marsh (“To Rescue a Prince”) (156 Yavië 26 - 36; 1989 June - August)

Background and summary: The Party is summoned as divine intervention by Hafgrim Forsetigodi, priest to Forseti, in Leifland (over the Western Sea). This is also final repayment by Bree for Forseti’s assistance in recovering Astacoe. The goal is to rescue prince Thorbjorn, who was just captured in a raid by neighbouring Orustia. The party tracks the raiders back into Dogar Marsh, and find the prince held captive by Akkurrakk the Lich, who resides in remains of an ancient Hobgoblin power station.

Starting members:
From Road to Hel: Bree (WrC11), Gutezapre (WrC10), Rugor (F6), Haldir (F6/MU5/T7), Skyboot (I6), Caramyr (MU5/Mk6), Hysstyr (NtC6)
From Leopard’s Eye: Aineli (Cv9/WrC5)
From Swordquest: Arlan (NtC7/T5)

Y26: Party brought before Ki-Piddli; sent to burning remains of Main Hall of Leifheim
Help hunt down hundreds of Orustian raiders
Olaf (R6) joins, a skilled Ranger that knows the Dogar region
Y27: travel into Dogar Marsh
Y29: Skyboot learns she is pregnant
Y30: arrive at fortifications around the ancient Hobgoblin power station.
Y31: Rugor feebleminded by Yuan-Ti
Bree killed by Caramyr’s Fireball in battle with 8 umber hulks
Bree revived via Wish from Elcarin the Great (M28)
Y32: battle gargoyles and the like: Olaf dies; Arlan does 96 pts damage to a gargoyle in one swing
rescue Nico the Flamboyant (T11 Gnome), having been released from 850 years of stasis
Y33: Olaf raised, Rugor’s mind restored
Haldir killed
big battle versus Akkurrakk the Lich and its minions; Bree and Olaf lose a level, Nico killed; Akkurrakk destroyed 1 segment before unleashing a 20-die fireball on party
Party rescues the prince; then leave complex
Y38: the Party arrives back in Leifheim, to cheering crowds, big banquet, and gifts
Haldir raised, as well as Nico (who goes on her way as soon as possible)

Training, Y40-Q10: Skyboot = I7, Caramyr = MU7/Mk6, Hysstyr = NtC7, Rugor = F7, Aineli = Cv10/WrC6, Haldir = M6; Olaf restored to R6, but Bree remains WrC10; Caramyr rejuvinated to 30 years.

Surviving members: Bree (WrC10), Gutezapre (WrC10), Rugor (F7), Arlan (NtC7/T6?), Haldir (F6/MU6/T7), Skyboot (I7), Caramyr (MU7/Mk6), Hysstyr (NtC7), Aineli (Cv10/WrC6), Olaf (R6)
New members: Olaf
Retirees: Olaf
Casualties: (Bree, Olaf, Haldir - all raised)
Continuing party: Bree, Gutezapre, Rugor, Arlan, Haldir, Skyboot, Caramyr, Hysstyr, Aineli

IX.4: Ragnarok (“156: A Space Oddity”) (156 Quellë 36 - 40; 1989 December - 1990 April; 1991 January)

Background and summary: The Party learns of an attempt by Drow to visit one of the 2 tiny moons of Dafan (which they had been observing for some time - see Drow Observatory) — ancient creations of the Hobgoblins — in order to destroy much of Dafan. They go to the ruins of a Hobgoblin city in the north of Leifland, and with the help of Ell Kara travel to one of the moons, and catch and destroy the Drow expedition.

Starting members:
From Dogar Marsh: Bree (WrC10), Gutezapre (WrC10), Rugor (F7), Arlan (NtC7/T6), Haldir (F6/MU6/T7), Skyboot (I7), Caramyr (Mk7/MU6), Hysstyr (NtC7), Aineli (Cv10/WrC6)
From elsewhere: Lanefan (F7), Alcavron (F7/T7), Ell Kara (WrC?), Shauna (T8/I6)
New members: Marks (F/MU), Spencer (F/MU)

Y56: Shauna (T8/I6), Marks and Spencer join the party, unexpectedly.
Y58: Thorin joins as a guide and source of information from concerned Dwarves east of Leifland.
Y59-Q14: travel to the Dwarven lands.
Q15: evicted from Dwarven lands, except for Gutezapre and Thorin (who stays)
Q16: Bree and Rugor leave the party, and Planeshift back to home continent
Q17-35: Arlan, Haldir, Aineli, Shauna, Marks, and Spencer travel north; Skyboot, Caramyr, and Hysstyr go elsewhere.
Q28: Lanefan (F7) joins, unexpectedly
Q33: stop in a town and hire a cleric; Thrumm (NrC4) joins
Skyboot, Caramyr, and Hysstyr rejoin the party, Alcavron joins as well
Q36: meet 2 interesting locals with considerable capabilities: Arwen (NrC26/B17) and Iilta (R7) join (Iilta is a Dragon, well-used to traveling in human form)
arrive at the ruined Hobgoblin city
Haldir and Thrumm killed; Haldir resurrected, Thrumm raised by Arwen
Haldir killed, then raised by Arwen
unexpectedly meet Ell Kara, who is busy clobbering Bugbears and the like; she had escaped from Swiness and reverted back to her true Hobgoblin form; she was directed by her deity to this city, and so she considers it her sacred duty to clean it up; Ell Kara joins
Q37: Marks and Spencer killed (M charmed by Elvashi the Balrog into jumping off a bridge, S grabs M and falls with him); all that is later found is one foot of Spencer (?)
Big battle versus Drow in launch room: Aineli killed by a sneaky Assassin; Lanefan killed, vapourised when run over by a magic flying throne; meet and release an imprisoned Earth Dragon, who has been the room’s guardian for millennia
Gutezapre arrives with 27 Dwarves
Q38: Aineli raised by Arwen
most of Party is launched in shuttle to one of the artificial moons; Ell cannot step foot in the station as it is taboo (she’s of the wrong clan); Arwen and Iilta also stay to slay monsters, as do the 27 extra Dwarves
Q39: Gutezapre Plane Shifts to the moon and rejoins the Party
big boom in a room: various magic items fail their save, Skyboot and Shauna killed
determine that many, if not all of the Drow already killed by unknown forces
meet and deal with elements of the security forces: Unseen Servants and Robots
eventually catch the one surviving Drow (I8/T8), who had been secretly following the Party; she tries to destroy the main power source of the station, but the Party kills her first
somehow, Skyboot raised
Q40: Plane Shift back to Dafan
have a big battle: Alcavron, Thrumm, and Gutezapre killed when Party ambushed by more Drow while resting in a stairwell (the first thing that happened was a sneaky Drow unleashed a powerful Lightning Bolt which hit Alcavron, but his magic Short Sword then absorbed the bolt before it could hit anyone else)
find out that Arwen killed while they were gone, along with 24 of the 27 Dwarves; Alcavron, Arwen, and Gutezapre raised by Arlan; Shauna raised by Hysstyr; Thrumm raised by Ell
one of the surviving Dwarves stays with the Party: Romli Steelbeard (F5) joins
Skyboot and the Earth Dragon feud over the flying throne; the Dragon wins
Arwen, Iilta, and Thrumm leave
that evening, Ell and Gutezapre take the Party to Ikon by Planeshift; then Ell leaves, and Planeshifts back to her city
Q41: Party splits up for training: Gutezapre takes Alcavron and Romli to Klungdor, Caramyr takes Skyboot and Shauna to Landau, Hysstyr goes to his home plane
the rest stay in the Ikon region, and get into trouble

Training, Q41-H3: Gutezapre = WrC11, Skyboot = I8, Hysstyr = NtC8, Caramyr = Mk7, Shauna = I7, Arlan = NtC8/T7, Thrumm = NrC5, C6

Q50: the (last) courtcase: Haldir versus Skyboot
Haldir claims that on Q36 Skyboot knowingly killed him with a Lightning Bolt, when he was in the midst of some enemy
the courtcase is significantly disrupted by some pranks by Shauna (and Arlan discreetly); this is an affront to the deities in whose name the courtcase is held, Hermes and Demeter

the result (part 1)
Shauna is fined 450sp for disrupting the courtcase, Haldir is fined 80sp and Skyboot 50sp for attracting known disrupters into a court, Tse is fined 80sp for being Haldir’s sponsor, and Caramyr is fined 5sp for being there; as well, the courtcase is thrown out of town by High Priest Kometes

so Haldir searches for a new venue; Artemisia, High Priestess of the Great Sanctuary of Artemis at Southtor agrees, after a hefty damage deposit is presented; ironically, Arlan is accepted as an expert witness, due to her religion

the result (part 2)
no offence to Artemis or any important deity is found; Haldir and Skyboot are thus both found guilty; Haldir is fined 75sp and Skyboot is fined the full value of Haldir’s monetary losses (which he calculates at 50,125sp, including the price of a resurrection [which he didn’t have to pay]); they must also split the court costs (jury of 100, at 1/2sp per day; sanctuary fee of 100sp; translators at 5sp per day); Haldir also paid 12sp to a speechwriter, and 15sp on drinks for as many jurors as he could find the night before)
Skyboot then flees, but is caught and returned by Caramyr
Skyboot cannot pay Haldir’s bill, so, in exchange for the Sanctuary paying her bill, Skyboot is Quested by Artemisia to serve the Sanctuary for a Year and a Day
As well, Haldir is then Quested to work out matters of accidental deaths with his next party before adventuring, not afterwards

Surviving members: Bree (WrC10), Gutezapre (WrC11), Rugor (F7), Alcavron (F7/T7), Skyboot (I8), Caramyr (MU7/Mk7), Hysstyr (NtC8), Haldir (F6/MU6/T7), Arlan (NrC8/T7), Aineli (Cv10/WrC6), Ell Kara (WrC), Shauna (I7/T8); Thrumm (NrC6), Arwen (B/NrC), Iilta (R/Dragon), Romli (F5)
New members: Marks, Spencer, Thrumm, Arwen, Iilta, Romli
Retirees: Bree (to Niflheim), Rugor, Alcavron, Skyboot (working for Artemis), Haldir, Arlan, Shauna, Romli, Thrumm, Ell Kara, Iilta, Arwen, Romli
Casualties: Marks, Spencer, Lanefan (later revived); (Haldir (twice), Thrumm (twice), Aineli, Shauna, Skyboot, Alcavron, Gutezapre, Arwen - all revived)
Continuing party: Gutezapre, Caramyr, Hysstyr, Aineli (rejoined by Bree)

What does Skyboot do while Quested to Artemis?

Her service begins 156H1; her adventures include losing 2 levels to a Vampire, being restored to the start of I8, and then advancing to I9
her service continues to 157H2, but she continues adventuring until 158T58
She also tries on occasion to hire thieves to steal back the money from Haldir; it doesn’t work out

And what does Shauna do next?

Shauna goes on a thieving binge, then heads to Tse’s resort for 2 months of gambling, entertainment, and raking in the tips. However, on 156C32, she’s kidnapped and taken to Hannu, where she’s forced to perform as an exotic entertainer. After more than a year of gruelling work and considerable earnings, Shauna manages to escape and return to Ikon (158 Lairë).

IX.5: Niflheim ("Dafan II") (156 Hrivë 7 - 157 Tuilë 14; 1991 Feb)

Background and summary: Hel is upset with Bree having stolen “one of Her souls”: Astacoe. Complicating things is the ongoing feud between Sif and Loki. Bree brings her Mammoth, which is nearly eaten when Bree enters Hel's Hall. Bree is forced to duel with Lanefan, one of Loki's champions, in order to prevent Hel from retaking Astacoe. Lanefan loses a leg, but wins and is instantly returned to Dafan; arrives at centre of Gutezapre's temple ice, bleeding profusely. Bree remains as a companion to Hel, while her Axe is taken by Loki. Meanwhile, Gutezapre has somehow flown into Niflheim in order to stop Bree; but he is killed by some powerful locals and is thus as stuck as is Bree.

Lanefan’s arrival at centre ice prompts a few questions among Gutezapre’s staff, such as: who is this guy, why is he here, and where’s Gutezapre? A Commune spell is purchased, and they find out that both Gutezapre and Bree are now residents in Niflheim. This is deemed undesireable, so a rescue mission is launched by some old friends: Simon, Astacoe, Alcavron, Kaija, Florelli, Caramyr, Hysstyr and Aineli. They succeed in bribing the two out, but the price includes serving Hel for a year and a day as replacement Gatekeepers.

Starting members:
From Ragnarok: Bree (WrC10), Gutezapre (WrC11), Alcavron (F7/T7), Caramyr (MU7/Mk7), Hysstyr (NtC8), Aineli (Cv10/WrC6)
From Road to Hel: Astacoe (F7), Simon (P6), Kaija (MU7/F7), Florelli (T8/F6/R3)

156Q42: a drunk Bree arrives via Planeshift in Klungdor, with her pet mammoth, looking for Astacoe; they arrive at centre ice of Gutezapre’s rink; a brawl breaks out, but nobody dies (despite Rugor’s best attempts to clobber his own temple folk)
Bree finds Astacoe in nearby Komorn
Q43: Bree finds Astacoe, and takes him on a romantic holiday in Ikon Peninsula; they return to Komorn; Bree hangs around for another 6 weeks; Astacoe remains uninterested in going to Hel with Bree
Q56?: then one day, Bree suddenly finds herself sent to Niflheim and brought before Hel; Hel is displeased with Bree for having stolen Astacoe, and makes her fight a champion of Loki, Lanefan: if Bree wins, she and Astacoe are free; but if Lanefan wins, he is given a new life and Loki gets to keep Bree’s Axe
Bree fights Lanefan; Bree killed, while Lanefan is released from Niflheim and is instantly sent to centre ice in Gutezapre’s temple; however, he lost a leg in the battle and is bleeding to death
while this is going on, Gutezapre has flown into Niflheim on his broom, looking for Bree; he meets some talking goats; he is then zapped by a Dragon, clobbered by Giants, and crashes into a wall: Gutezapre killed

meanwhile:
Gutezapre’s staff saves Lanefan; then has a Commune cast to find out where Gutezapre and Bree are, and why Lanefan is here; determine that G & B cannot leave Niflheim on their own
So . . . a rescue mission for both Bree and Gutezapre is launched; Astacoe agrees, but only to go as far as the Gates of Niflheim and buy Bree’s freedom (but not Gutezapre’s); Hysstyr almost vetoes his and Caramyr’s involvement on religious grounds
the rescue Party: Simon, Astacoe, Alcavron, Kaija, Florelli, Caramyr and Hysstyr join
H1: arrive at Siffjord: Aineli joins
H2: Teleport to the north shore of Bokn Sea, and walk to Niflheim
H7: Party splits up: Astacoe (!), Caramyr, Hysstyr, and Aineli bribe their way into Niflheim, while the rest remain outside
Aineli challenges Hel’s best champion, in exchange for the release of Bree and Gutezapre
Aineli, under the influence of Sif’s blessings, fights the Champ: F21, 150 hp, AC: -2; Aineli wins!
so Gutezapre and Bree are allowed to leave; but they and the 4 rescuers are Quested to serve Hel for a year and a day
Bree finds that her Mammoth is still alive, and has been renamed “the Blessed Mammoth of Hel”
157T14: Party returns from Niflheim (having lost track of time, as usual); but most have to return by T42 to begin their service; Simon, Alcavron, Kaija, and Florelli leave
T42: after having gone home to sort out some matters, the 6 begin their service as Guardians of the Gate (Modruð wants a holiday)
158T43: their very boring service ends, and Modruð returns to her eternal duties

Surviving members: Bree (WrC10), Gutezapre (WrC11), Simon (P6), Astacoe (F7), Alcavron (F7/T7), Kaija (MU7/F7), Florelli (T8/F6/R3), Caramyr (MU7/Mk7), Hysstyr (NtC8), Aineli (Cv10/WrC6), Lanefan (F8)
New members: none
Retirees: Bree, Simon, Astacoe, Alcavron, Kaija, Florelli, Lanefan
Casualties: Bree, Gutezapre
Continuing party: Gutezapre, Caramyr, Hysstyr, Aineli

IX.6: Back in Time ("Dafan III: Fixing a Space Station") (158 Lairë 38 - Yavië 30; 1992 Fall)

Background and summary: A few months after the Ragnarok adventure, Ell Kara locates Tse and others in Ikon, and tells them of a Big Problem. She has determined that when the Drow invaded one of the ancient Hobgoblin space station, despite dying they were successful in damaging it. It appears that the stations had been, in essence, holding Dafan together. Their ability to do such has now been compromised, and as a result Dafan has begun to suffer violent earthquakes which are peaking in progressively worse ones every full moon. Ell figures that within one or two months, the earthquakes will wipe out most of civilisation.

The damage done to the station cannot be readily fixed, as there are no Hobgoblins left on Dafan who have anything remotely close to the skills necessary. Thus she recommends that the Party go back in time, many millennia, to when the stations were being built, and ensure that better safeguards were built into the stations. Ell states that she cannot go back, as her Order did not exist back then, and she could never hide that fact. Besides, she is very proficient at sending others to do her bidding.

The Party goes back in time to find a Hobgoblin scientist named Hussiba Hassar, a designer of safeguards on the satellites whom the Guardian (the Earth Dragon, who is essentially immortal) ) at Ell’s city dimly recalls from way back then. The Party succeeds in convincing Hussiba that her team of scientists overlooked an extremely unlikely, but nonetheless possible, series of events that could destroy the stations; all the while not revealing much of what the future holds (namely that Hobgoblins cease to rule the world).

Back then, the major races were quite different: Hobgoblins ruled the world, but were smaller and meeker, relying on technology; Elves are their only significant foe (on Dafan, that is), who lurk on the periphery and survive with magic use; Dwarves tend to hate Elves and dislike Hobgoblins, but many work as mercenaries for the latter; and Hobbits didn’t even exist? Among the Dwarven deities, Ki-Piddly and Vergadain were one. The big enemy of the Hobgoblins (and most other Dafan species) are the Kotja, psionic monsters from off-world, later to be known as the Githyanki and Githzerai.

The Party returns to their normal time with Hussiba, and find that many powerful beings are trying to stop them. In the end, Hussiba is successful in her repairs.

Starting members: Tse (MU9), Gandalf (MU8/C4), Gutezapre (WrC11), Baranfindel (NrC6/R6), Shauna (I7/T9), Ell Kara (WrC), Caramyr (MU7/Mk7), Hysstyr (NtC8), Skyboot (I9), Aineli (Cv10/WrC7)
New members: Hattuk (F5)

158L33: Ell Kara arrives outside Ikon city, finds Tse, and explains that there is a Big Problem; they need to find a “Maker” (i.e. ancient scientist)
L38: Tse rounds up enough people; Party planeshifts to Ell Kara’s city in northern Leifland (see Ragnarok adventure; Ell Kara now rules the city)
Ell lends the Party a henchling; Hattuk (F5) joins
Party and Ell now planeshift to a small fort on the outskirts of the other Hobgoblin city (see Hobgoblin City adventure)
Ell sends the Party about 100,000 years into the past, each person having a device with which to return; Ell Kara does not accompany the Party as she cannot go back, so Ell leaves
day 1: defeat many Demons and a Time Weasel
Caramyr and Gandalf survey the city by air, but set off alarms
Gutezapre casts a Commune spell, and gets the wrong deity; Ki-Piddly and Vergadain are one
meet Kultha Engtvar, an eccentric Hobgoblin engineer/inventor, part of SRP (Special Research Project); he has been tracking time-displacement distortions by means of his recent invention, a TGG (Time-Glitch Gizmo), which has drawn him to where the Party is; he thinks he’s finding traces of recent Kotja activities, but it actually is the arrival of the Party to his time-frame; of course, he is not allowed to discuss such matters with mundanes, let alone exotic foreigners
Shauna enters the city invisible and begins looting, while Tse and Gandalf wander about in disguise; when they find the Strategic Defence Institute, they are caught by a multi-coloured Flugormr cleric (i.e. another Hysstyr!)
they are eventually able to convince some Secret Service agenst that they are here to do a Good Deed; more of the Party (Caramyr, Hysstyr, and Gutezapre) are invited into the city in secret (so as not to scare the populace)
after a few hours of talking, a raid by Kotja occurs; Gutezapre killed, but the Party defeats many Kotja and wins the praise of the locals; Tse notably heroic in saving some helpless Hobgoblins; Gutezapre raised by Hysstyr during the battle; Gutezapre, Caramyr, Hysstyr, and Shauna deafened at end of battle (H and S permanently so)
that evening, finally allowed to meet with Hussiba Hassar, the scientist; Caramyr tries but is unable to psionically contact the Earth Dragon whom they met at the other city and who is already alive now (it is alive, but the passage of time can alter the psychic “address” which Caramyr is looking for)
also that evening, the Party notices that the sky is all wrong: stars are in the wrong places, and the moon is far too small and quite dull in colour
after much consultation with others, Hussiba decides to accompany the Party to the future and repair the damage done (knowing that she can never return to her normal time); to ensure her access to critical systems in the future, she makes a minor modification in the security to allow for a “backdoor password” of which she alone can take advantage
day 2: Hysstyr cures the deafness in himself and Shauna; Gutezapre and Caramyr are recovering naturally
Hussiba joins the Party, having completed her work and bids farewell to her friends (she has no living close relatives, conveniently)
just before the Party can return to the basement room in the fort from which they can travel back to the future, 8 bored Demons attack them; the Party clobbers them; Gutezapre does 90 points in one swing to one; the spindly Hussiba survives a blow or two, and seems more concerned about the possibility of other things attacking them
when they arrive back in their normal time, they find that 3 enormous Dragons had followed them (they had hitched rides, polymorphed as insects); the Dragons attack immediately, before all of the Party can recover from the temporal transition; massive breath weapons reduce Shauna to -29, Gutezapre to -74, and Hattuk to -97; the Dragons are defeated, but Shauna, Gutezapre, and Hattuk killed
find that something is dreadfully wrong with “now”: the stars are back where they belong, but the moon is still small and dull; and Caramyr cannot contact anyone psionically . . . except ‘Sheh, barely, who is now 1226 years old, having fled a dying Dafan over 700 years ago
Y16: then Ell Kara rejoins by Planeshift, and they all Planeshift back to her city; there, the moon is right but more time has passed than they experienced
immediately they are attacked by Xashikko (C10/A10), a Drow who had been spying on Ell since the end of the Ragnarok adventure (just in case something was done to fix the damage done by the Drow)
Xashikko seems determined to kill Hussiba, but is driven off by the Party and teleports away (after leaving behind a Delayed Blast Fireball); Caramyr teleports after her, but cannot keep up in the vast subterranean complex
it then dawns on the Party just how many “interested parties” there are in the world, then and now, who want to stop them, and that Hussiba had better get working fast before some other people decide to blow them to bits
the Party also finally clues in that their meek little scientist has withstood Demon blows, Dragon breaths, and an Assassin; when asked, she admits that she is actually (another) shapeshifting Dragon; her engineering work was her way of discretely helping fight the Kotja (the real purpose for the satellites) and their Dafan allies, such as various Evil Dragons
after some chit-chat, Hussiba gets to work with the Guardian; she finds that there is enough functioning equipment in the control room of Ell’s city that she can probably do everything without having to travel to the satellites; while she works, the Party awaits more attacks (and squishes a few suspicious bugs, just in case), and also tries to revive the dead; Shauna resurrected, but Gutezapre fails; Hattuk is left dead, having died honourably
after a few hours, Hussiba thinks she has successfully repaired the satellites; so they wait until the next full moon to see if any earthquakes occur
Y18: find out that the nearest Dwarven communities are in turmoil, with the concensus being that the Party had failed and that Dafan was doomed; the Drow, on the other hand, were in the midst of a major civil war, as many now realise that their subterranean world is being destroyed due to the actions of a few
Y30: full moon . . . and no earthquakes! as well, the Party finds that while Planeshift no longer works between this continent and Ikon, ordinary Teleport does
BUT . . .
Q30: next full moon, and the world dies

Surviving members: Tse (MU9), Gandalf (MU8/NtC4), Baranfindel (NrC6/R6), Shauna (I7/T9), Ell Kara (WrC), Caramyr (MU7/Mk7), Hysstyr (NtC8), Skyboot (I9), Aineli (Cv10/WrC7), Hussiba (Dragon)
New members: Hattuk, Hussiba Hassar
Retirees: everyone
Casualties: Gutezapre (died twice, raised once), Hattuk, (Shauna - resurrected)
Continuing party: none

IX.7: Cybal in Gordieland ("Dafan IV") (1994 April 16)

Background and summary: A fabulous but insane Gnome named Cybal Flumph (formerly Cymbal, formerly Fimble, from the world Telenet - see Temple of Elemental Evil 3) summons several famous Dafan characters as a form of divine intervention. Cybal is residing in a limbo-land of weirdness, a miniature alternate universe, the result of spell-failure when she was evicted from Mudra. The supposed assassination of Cybal on Volare/Mudra failed: some other poor Gnome cleric was killed (after all, to big monsters, one Gnome looks like another).

The gallant rescuers of Cybal have been astrally projected into her universe. Many were in the midst of various activities; afterwards, they return to where they were with little or no time having passed. Ultimately, the rescuers are successful, though none ever realise it, and Cybal returns to Telenet.

Starting members: Swiness (MU9), Tse (MU9), Gandalf (MU8/NtC5), Rugor (F7), Shauna (I7/T9), Alcavaron (F7/T7), Baranfindel (NrC6/R6), Raiko (MU6/Mk6), Skyboot (I9), Lanefan (F8), Freddy (T), Caramyr (MU7/Mk7), Hysstyr (NtC9), Ragnar (WrC4/F4)
New: Huey, Duey, Louie, Ratatouille (henchlings of Shauna, all T3/I3 ?); Cybal Flumph (NrC8)

Everyone “arrives” by falling into a 10' deep pit; Swiness is first, and finds herself squashed by the weight of the rest of party: Swiness killed; Gandalf, on the other hand, arrives last, with a lot of very nice loot (cannibalised from his recently-dead party, just prior to the arrival of some very displeased Demons)
the Party meets and defeats some stone statues in a dead end, two of which are marked with the words “Gelsna Fenal”; Lanefan thinks this has to do with him, tries out a surplus stone leg, and finds he has a new, fully-functioning leg (to replace the one that Bree chopped off); Skyboot killed, everyone thinks
going the other way, the party crosses a highway for high-speed pink elephants; no one is crushed
they find an office; Cybal joins and tells people what they’re doing there
beyond a mighty door, they find the legendary Rink of Ice, lair of the Gord-monster, the bane of Cybal
Lanefan, already drunk, charges; Tse unleashes a mighty lightning bolt; Raiko deftly engages the Gord-monster on ice; the Gord-monster never had a chance.

Surviving members: Tse (MU9), Gandalf (MU8/NtC5), Rugor (F7), Shauna (I7/T9), Alcavaron (F7/T7), Baranfindel (NrC6/R6), Raiko (MU6/Mk6), Lanefan (F8), Freddy (T), Caramyr (MU7/Mk7), Hysstyr (NtC9), Ragnar (WrC4/F4); Huey, Duey, Louie, Ratatouille, Cybal (NrC8)
New members: Huey, Duey, Louie, Ratatouille, Cybal
Retirees: Tse, Gandalf, Rugor, Shauna, Alcavaron, Baranfindel, Raiko, Skyboot?, Lanefan, Freddy, Caramyr, Hysstyr, Ragnar, Huey, Duey, Louie, Ratatouille; Cybal (to Telenet)
Casualties: Swiness, Skyboot? (according to Party concensus)
Continuing party: none