New campaign in Domain of Ry'mell

The session was short, as it was meant to be a "0" session.

The party was introduced in the city of Ha'kym'halil, a massive sprawling city centered around a gigantic military Garrison. The city borders the land between the Golden Savanna and the Scorched and Undead infested Deadlands. Ha'kym'halil is home to Ry'mell's largest standing army designated there to protect the lands from the corruption and monsters infesting the Deadlands.

While sitting around a table under a large Pavillion tent drinking ale, the party introduced themselves. The mysterious alien looking Enaar Starkissed, a shy feline Tabaxi named Tunder Cat, the scarred barbarian from the Savage Lands of the west, Ra-Ra Dreadthorn, a former slave turned sailor, a lost Firblog searching for her tribe, Jezzy, accompanied by a gnomish illiusionist named Lenny Shifter and lastly a human bard of Valor named Valandres.

The group is approached by a beautiful dark skinned dark haired scholarly woman named Dahlia Ehnson, claiming to be a sage and employed by an unnamed patron at the cities only College, which also houses the 9 Schools of Magic. Her offer is simple, she has a map to a little known dungeon 3 days travel from the city that she is willing to give the party, in exchange for recovery of a lost Tome. The dungeon is known as the Seven Caves of Olman, the resting place of the Seven Discipiles of Olman the Stonefist. The Tome is a personal journal of a famous wandering Mage/Druid named Omar Farstride. Dahlia is willing to pay 250 gp for the tome, and of course the Dungeon is theirs to plunder.

The next day the party heads out of the city, skirting along the desert, plagued by is overbearing heat. Eventually its decided to travel at night, and the party rest inside of a conjured Rope Trick spell by Tunder Cat. Sometime during the twilight hours, then party witness 4 giant Scorpions raiding there camp where they're camels were also resting. The party slew the 4 massive beasts, but noticed some odd behavior during the attack.

And that is where we ended the session.

Session 1 - the 7 virtues
After the encounter with the Scorpions, the party rests for some time and continue traveling at night. Along their way, they encounter 4 massive bugs called Ankhegs, which the party slew after having stomach acid belched on them. The party manages to salvage a crate full of exotic spices worth 50 gp, and 450 LBS of Ankheg Carapaces for making armor. Again the party rests, and the next evening makes it to the Twilight Mesa on the southern edge of the Broken Pillars. But where the party expected to find the 7 caves of Olman, instead found a mysterious 7 stone doors, each with glass tiles etched with Celestrial Runes for the 7 virtues.
1) Justice (Gy'thyn) was battling Voidspawn who slew a beautiful woman prisoner.
2) Benevolence (Jyn'thyn) a trapped treasure chest with dust of Enragement and a note saying "compassion and Love can be a warrior's strongest weapon"
3) Respect (Rei'thyn) a respectful dinner with strange foods and Yuan'ti hosts.
4) Honesty (Mako'thyn) a zone of truth and a simple question - "what is the most important thing to you in this life"
5) Honor (Beiyo'thyn) an underage Orgy with a spell of seduction.
6) Loyality (Chu'thyn) a large dark pit and the floating magical words "To open the door again, at least one person must sacerfice themselves to the deadly depths. You only have two hours of Air in this chamber."
7) Courage (Tyki'thyn) completion of the previous 6 trials.

Inside they found their employer, the beautiful human sage Dahlia Ehnson and a man that looks similar to Enaar Starkiss, a man Dahlia names her patron, Markus Los. And we ended the game there.

Session 2 – Sometimes things just don’t just work out

The party gained 4th level and was introduced to the Protectorate Royal Markus Los who is the patron of Dahlia Ehnson. Dahlia is the employer of the party and everything comes full circle.

Markus and Dahlia introduce the party to the idea of the Starlight Watchers, an ancient group of people devout to protecting the world and Nexus’s (items and places in the world where the Weave of Magic called Ley Lines intersect). Inside the Twilight Mesa was an enormous ancient tree referenced as a Nexus Tree, a.k.a the Twilight Tree. Also the party meet the people and families of the other followers of the Watch.

Later the group were lead to a conference room of sorts, feed tea and pastries and basically offered membership into the Starlight Watchers, but the party had doubts. Many doubts and questions, evenuatly it was decieded to do a initial job for the group to see how things go.

Deep inside the Twilight Mesa compound, the party with Camels in tow, was lead to a large chamber with an enormous Teleportation circle. Dahlia casted a complex and long ritual and transported the entire party (camels included) to her rich estate in the city of Ha’Kym’Halil.

The job was to scout out a group of Treasure hunters called the “Wyrmslayers”. Apparently Dahlia hired the adventuring group months ago to travel to the Great Jungle to the southeast in search of a keystone needed to unlock more of the Twilight Mesa Compound. But when the group returned from their adventure, they seemed strange, almost like they had forgotten who Dahlia was. Only 4 of the 6 memebers returned. Also, the remaining treasure hunters seemingly trying to fence off the keystone Dahlia wanted. Also the group moved out of the INN they were part owners of (The Sand Wyrm INN) to a scuzzy tavern called the “Copper Bracelet”.

The party headed out to talk to the owner of the Sand Wyrm INN, Jaher Navreen. Jaher was friendly, sitting down with the party and explaining the background of the “Wyrmslayers” who were friends of his. Eventually, he explained they had moved into the Copper Bracelet and gave the group directions. From there the party investigated, attempting to enter the Tavern, but had strange encounter with the bouncer who fleed inside and locked the door.

Lenny, the gnome illuisionist, snuck around to the back and witnessed a kitchen full of human remains being butchered for food. He returns to the party and they stormed in, surprised to be facing a horde of snake people called Yuan’ti. A massive battle broke out, the adventures slew a small horde of Yuan’ti until a fiendish Abomination emerged from the cellar below. Enaar struck with a smite on the Void-born creature, wounding it, and the creature fleed, while the party did the same, but not before burning the Tavern down to the ground.

The party returned to Dahlia and explained what happened. Dahlia did not seem happy. She shoved them a sack of 1,000 gp and asked them to not returned, the offer to the become members of the Starlight Watchers was recended.

Session 3 – Bitches be crazy bro!

A month has passed since the brawl with the Yuan’ti, and many of the members of the group took this opportunity to pursue personal interest while staying at the Shepard’s Rest Inn.

Ra-Ra went to work at a local Blacksmith, a weazly human named Bara’heed and his 6 other apprentices. At the end of his time there, Bara’heed took advantage of Ra-Ra’s Orcish heritage and decided not to pay him, knowing the Orc would have a hard time with the local authorities to get his pay. Ra-Ra reacts like most Orcs, furiously, in front of the other workers. Ra-Ra threatens Bara’heed, telling him to meet him outside the west gate of the city that night with his money. But Bara’heed went to the guards instead, and Ra-Ra was simply meet with guards and crossbows at the out wall. Ra-Ra wisely decided to leave and cut it up to a loss.

Lenny decides to save his coin, and rents a mud hut in the slums of the city. He goes about making name his self in the cities underbelly, where he meets an independent rogue, a Halfling woman calls herself Falcon to do a “job”. Lenny invites Jezi to join him. She agrees, warily. At Midnight, Falcon and her Half-orc goon join up with Lenny and Jezi to raid a non-descript warehouse that is valuable enough to have night watch guards. The job goes south as Guards and Falcon clash inside the warehouse, while the guards outside kill the Half-orc goon. Jezi leaves, not impressed with the lawlessness happening, while Lenny stays and releases an impressive slew of illusionary spells. In the end, all but one of the guards are slain (2 of them by Thunderclap spell) also Falcon and her goon also died. Lenny looted Falcon and fled into the night, gaining a reputation of a mad bombing gnome. Later Lenny visits the magical store known as the “The Tower” owned by Javhevee (slick used car salesman-like human who is the owner of the store) and purchases a new spell.

Enaar Starkiss left the city, possibly to continue his story elsewhere. Valandras the Viking chills out, relaxing, drinking and womanizing.

Tundar spent a lot of her time searching for work as an Alchemist, to no success. So she spent a lot of gold to purchase inks, parchment, books for arcane studies, also spending a lot of time at the magical store, “The Tower”.

Jezi spends sometime in meditation and visits some of the local temples dedicated to the Radiant Orders of Life, Nature and Knowledge. Eventually though, she meets a travelling Halfling Bard named Andolen Shorthall performing at the Shepard’s Rest Inn with his Goliath friend, Drog. Andolen sings a song called Woodland hero, a song about a woman lost in the Silver Oak forest, who meets a mysterious Firbolg, and eventually fall in love. Jezi questions the bard, asking where he hear that story, and Andolen explains he heard it from a Nymph he visited in his travels through the Silver Oak Forest on his way to explore the ruins of St. Elle’s Monastery. He is willing to give an accurate map from the city to the Nymph’s grove in the forest, in exchange for a favor. Andolen is an investor to the StrongArm Weaponsmith Company, owned by three dwarf brothers, Delv, Gilthur and Tordek. They are looking for adventures.

And so, at the end of the 30 days, the party gather back together in the common room of the Shepard’s Rest Inn. Here, Jezi and Andolen arrange a meeting between the Adventures and the Dwarven brothers to speak of terms. Apparently the dwarves wish to hire the Party to clear out the famous the Ruins of Holy Hammer Keep. The keep fell over 200 years ago during an attempted invasion by an undead army lead by a creature known as the Bonelord. Also, 200 years ago, the keep was already famous by the weaponsmithing community because of their resident mysterious Master craftsman. Very little is known about the Holy Hammer Master craftsman, other than he had created several masterwork weapons, and a few known magical hammers. Since the knowledge of magical item creation is very rare and a fading from the world as a whole, this makes any clues are possible notes, books or records about this Crafter extremely valuable.

Also, during all of the commotion, a small creature completely draped in a cloak, burka and bandages. Silently he seems to move in and quietly join the group…..on the sly.

The terms were as follows, for clearing the Ruins of all monsters so it’s safe for the Strong Arm Weaponsmith Company expedition to move in to explore (and possibly rebuild) the Company would be willing to pay 3000 gp to the party (up from 2000 due to good negotiations). Also, the returning of any weapons/items/notes/books/records (non-magical) would be worth an additional 250 gp, (identified with the crafters mark, a hammer in front of raising sun). Any magical items with a crafter’s mark would be worth 750+ gp.

With Contracts signed, the party set off a few days later with a map provided by the Dwarves to find the Ruins of Holy Hammer Keep. Much of their first day of travels with their camels the party crossed the Golden Plains Savanna seeing a lot of migrating wildlife as the land transitioned into autumn. Eventually the day ends at the Crystal Springs at the base of the Shallow Hills, a beautiful Oasis before reaching the border between the Savanna and the desolate Deadlands.

The evening is broken though, as an apparent young man injured from multiple wounds comes charging out of the brush, screaming for help. He quickly claims that his family are prisoners of gnolls in a cave not far from here. He scrambles up and grabs the front of Jezi’s armor. Many of the party members act suspicious of this, and soon they realize something is up and the man changes shape transforming into a very large half man half lion beast known as a Lamia, fantastical monster known for their trickery and magic. A battle ensues between the party and the Lamia, and the party quickly kill the beast. The animated burka (mikey’s character) quickly harvest the intoxicating glands of the Lamia.

The next day the party travel around the southern skirts of the Shallow Hills to very late portions of the afternoon. As the light begins to fade, the party reach the outer gates of the Holy Hammer Keep. The keep has fallen into disrepair over the last 200 years, much of the walls and outer towers had collapsed into a sprawling moat that was filled with jagged spears of stone. A half broken drawbridge lays across the moat leading into a courtyard full of dust and sage brush. Past that, seen in the fading light, was a large archway that once held a set of large doors. It was dark inside, so Lenny illuminated it with Dancing lights, revealing Brax’tek the Cyclops and his pet hell hound Ember sleeping in a make shift lair inside the throne room.

Before the Cyclops could do anything, Ra-Ra charged in, as orcs are known to do, and hit the Cyclops with a Javelin. Chaos erupted as the Cyclops and hell hound got up and attacked back, an epic battle ensued. Several times it looked grim for the party, but Ra-Ra lead the charge, falling and rising again, each time attacking the beasts.

And we ended the night with the party several battered, but victorious against the Cyclops and his pet.

And with that, the party also gained 5th level.

Session 4 – Can I finish speaking, please?

We start this session were we left off after the battle with the Cyclops. Many of the party was very injured, and so the group retreat from the Ruins and find a good hidden alcove spot. At this time, the traveling Skald Bard party member took this time to leave the party and return to the city of Ha’Kym’Ha-lil. After resting for long while, leveling up the characters, the adventures head back out, to find a strange sight indeed. A gargantuan Spider scaled up the side of the crumbling wall of the Keep had cocooned the corpse of the cyclops and was attempting to reel the body back over the wall.

At this point, Ra-Ra leads forth a charge against the Spider, sinking several javelins into its body. The rest of the party join the Orc Barbarian, and quickly slay the spider monstrosity.

From here the Party begin to search the ruins, room by room, checking out the mining shaft to the Audience room and beyond. Inside they find stairs leading down into a crypt, but also they discover a Door that is not a Door, but actually a Mimic. A brief battle ensues, in which Ra-Ra and Burka slay quickly and effiencely. Beyond the mimic door they find the Lord’s room, and also they find a hidden panel with an iron lockbox inside it. Ra-Ra in a show of might rip opens the lockbox with his bare hands, spilling forth hundreds of platinum coins, some gems and breaking a pair of glass vials.

From there the party ventured down into the Crypts of Holy Hammer Keep, which have been corrupted by the BoneLord’s invasion centuries ago. Locked stone doors with symbols representing things like Law, Honor and such could be found on each door. A set of pillars could be found, each with a lever protruding from them. Immediately Ra-Ra set forth and began to pull one of the levers, which apparently opened a pair of Crypt doors. But the old mechanism broke inside, as cables and such snapped and springs untwined, and soon all the doors opened, and all the skeletons animated along with mighty Mummified warriors and a Minotaur Skeleton wielding a Masterwork maul.

The battle that ensued was long, difficult and nearly disastrous, several party members falling in battle while Lenny the illusionist used a powerful scroll in hopes of slaying the monsters. Later Lenny was struck by one of the mummies, contracting a magical curse upon his body. But eventually the party was victorious, slaying all the undead.

From here the retreated back into the Keep’s courtyard and summoned forth a large 2 story magical Tower by Tundr Cat. Inside is a cozy resting and cleaning area in which the party was cramped (5 people, one of them a Firbolg, resting in a 200 SF tower is cramped) but rested until fully healed and Jezi was able to cure Lenny of his magical Rotting Curse.

Again the party ventured forth, finding a large 40’ by 40’ chamber, the walls lined with alcoves and the center dominated with 5 pillars (each missing a middle section where a slot hole was, surrounded in magical runes). Each alcove hosted a 4’ pedestal each with a different colored crystal mounted on it. Each of the 5 pillars had a riddle concerning a color or an element associated with a color. After a lot of debating, the correct crystals were married up with the correct pillar, and a hidden door opened leading further into the depths of Holy Hammer Keep.

And that’s where we ended tonight’s session.

Treasure gained – 261 PP, 1913 GP, 7340 SP, 3775 CP

Gems – x2 uncut smoky Quartz, Silver earrings w/gemstone pendant, small gold bracelet, x3 purple Garnets, x3 sapphires, x2 copper Urns, a palm sized owl carved from ivory

Items – Suit of Splint Mail armor (Taken by Jezi), Masterwork Keen Edge Great Axe (Taken by Ra-Ra), Explorer’s Pack, a portable Ram, A pair of Mithril Masterwork Superior Daggers with black leather sheaths (taken by Barka), A copper key (used), A brass key (used), Silvered masterwork superior Maul (symbol of Holy Hammer keep on it), Tome of the Raven Queen’s teachings and Rituals

Magical items – x2 Healing potions (both used in Mummy Fight), Gold pendant necklace with a heart shaped bloodstone and magical runes, Scroll of Fireball @ 5th level (used in Mummy Fight), Golden Bracers adorn with magical runes, A blue cloak with cartoonish lightening symbols upon it, a dark maroon glowing Warhammer (with a symbol of Holy Hammer keep upon it), oversized Pearl with a symbol of Allmother carved in it, x3 rosé colored potions, x2 red wine colored potions

Session 5 – Deep into Vaults of Holy Hammer Keep –

The session begins right after the party opens the magical puzzle door to the Dark depths of the Vaults below the crypts. The party immediate begin to descend stairs leading further down, eventually tripping a trap the lets loose a monstrous Zombie Beholder, in which the party kill straight away.

Again the party descend down stairs leading into another chamber with 4 doors. 3 circular stone doors with turn handles in their center all located in one chamber wall. In another wall is a stone double door with no handles or any indication on how to open it, the door completely covered in engraved Runes, written in old style Common. The Eulogy speaks of a creature, an Outsider race known called an Azer. Azer’s are sentient neutral aligned Elementals born from the Sea of Fire. These rare Outsiders are naturally inclined to being crafters, builders and artisans with Metal, Stone and Fire. Often Azers build suits of armor or statues in which their elemental forms can live inside and use like a normal body, and they shed them from time to time to make new ones, kinda like Hermit crabs.

Rumor is that long ago, the Azers were enslaved to the evil Fire Salamanders who rule the Sea of Fire, but somehow they earned their freedom.

Apparently, Holy Hammer keep was built by one of the Azer race, a master craftsmen named Ivankryss the Crafter. He was a refugee from the city of Brass which sits on a massive pillar in the heart of the Sea of Fire. The runes speak of Ivankryss’s life on the Prime Material plane, building the forge in the natural caverns below the keep, eventually allying with the Prime Elder of Bardryn Domain, building the Keep itself and eventually giving the keep to the current Defenders of the Realm at the time, the legendary Wolfguard adventuring group.

For a while, the orc known as Ra-Ra grows impatient and begins throwing a tantrum. After arguing with the party and getting into a small scuffle with Tund’r the party proceeds with the 3 doors.
The first door investigated was trapped, but the skilled rogue known as the Animated Burka was able to disable the mighty trap. It only opened to a stone wall, bahwahahaha.

The second door opened up to a small closet like room that had a tile set of 12 tiles placed in the middle of the wall like a grid. Each tile was a different color, much like the crystals from the previous magically locked room up above in the crypts. This eventually puzzle, once solved by the Animated Burka, a.k.a super rogue, and opened the sealed rune door to Ivankyrss’s Vault.

The third and last door opened into a stairwell leading further down into the earth.
Inside the opened Vault of Ivankryss is filled with several lifetimes’ worth of knickknacks and sentimental items, more than I can describe here. Also there is massive half made bronze statue that is headless (the once body host to Ivankryss). Jezi uses her Firbolg racial ability to detect magic, finding a secret room loaded with true treasures. The door was open by pressing a hidden rune on the wall matching a button on the palm of the statues hand. But when the room is looted, the statue animates as a Shield Guardian and cast fireball on the party, destroying portion of the treasure.

After that the party takes a long rest, possibly hearing Umber Hulks tunneling in the earth below them during their rest, attracted to the noise by the battles.

During this time, the party identifies items and rests up.

The next day the party head out and descend down. During this time, Ra-Ra separates from the party and goes down a side passage, which leads to a deadly trap with a massive 10’ boulder. But because of his massive constitution and keen sense, Ra-Ra avoids most of the damage of the trap and later rejoins the party.

Lastly the party enters the beginnings of natural caverns, large and full of centuries old mining supplies and gear. A large crane is found at the edge of a massive pit, the same one from the surface seen from the Keep’s courtyard. BurkaBurka advises that the Umber Hulks they heard last night should be dealt with now, and so with Ra-Ra banging his maul against the wall, they draw forth a pair of Umber Hulks and quickly slay them.

We leave our adventures as they enter the last portion of the dungeon, the fiery Forge of Holy Hammer Keep!


Treasure gained – x3 damaged Tomes of Crafting by Ivankryss the Crafter, 18,942 cp, 9176 sp, 3518 gp, 125 pp, a sack of jewels (worth about 1000 gp), Damaged suit of Masterworked Reinforced Breastplate (with Holy Hammer Keep Symbol), Damaged suit of M.W. Reinforced Half-plate (with Holy Hammer Keep Symbol), Damaged M.W. superior Morning Star (with Holy Hammer Keep Symbol), Damaged M.W. Reinforced Shield (with Holy Hammer Keep Symbol)

Session 6 – Who can out creep who?

The session starts as the party begins to descend down the mining shaft into the final level of the Holy Hammer Keep Dungeon. Below they find an old used up abandoned mining staging area. The mine is slightly illuminated from the shaft and heated by lava flows ahead.

The party moves forward, deeper into the mines, following the sounds of metal banging against metal. They eventually find a chamber with an enormous chain hoist, a foundry bucket suspended in the air, and a reinforced mining cart being manned by a pair of 3’ humanoid creatures seemingly made from half cooled magma, while the foundry bucket is being filled with molten steel by an enormous 12’ tall fire elemental. Ra-Ra charges forward, rendering the monsters with his deadly great axe while the rest of the party strikes from a distance. Eventually the Fire elemental flees, heavily damaged, while the 2 small fire creatures are easily dispatched.

Changing directions, the party head off another tunnel, and stumble upon a collapsed portion of tunnel wall, reveling a wide steep cragged natural formed tunnel leading deep, deep into the Underdark. It’s here when the party notices that the sounds of blacksmithing have stopped, and soon set up an ambush. And not long after that, a massive Outsider creature known as a Fire Salamander slithers forward, flanked by a pair of alien looking Fire Snakes. The party jump forward, springing an ambush to great effect. After a short battle, Ra-Ra taking the blunt of damage, the feline Tabaxian wizard Tundr’ cast forth a mighty blast of Ice that strikes the Salamander in the chest and cools him so rapidly that it changes into a massive 10’ statue made of Obsidian stone.

The other 2 creatures are quickly slain, and the obsidian is harvest by various party members, and soon the rest of the party begin to search the remaining portions of the mine. They discover the Holy Hammer Keep Forge, flanked by a series of Sulphur Hot Springs, home to a group of playful Steam Mephits.

Lenny and Ra-Ra also discover at the Mines end a very large metallic vehicle of strange Alien make. Lenny realizes that the platform is meant for traversing the Multiverse and the Outer planes. Ra-Ra’s curiosity gets the better of him, and he begins to push buttons, which cause the machine to overload (a piece looks like it might be missing inside) and arcane lightning strike him for a large portion of damage. It also seems to break the main portion of the machine.

Finally the party discovers treasures at the Forge, 8 sets of masterwork smithing tools and mysterious and obviously magical Otherworldly looking Halberd. The item is semi-sentient and after giving a vision to Jezi of the Sea of Fire and the City of Brass, Tund’r takes control of the item.

Shortly after that, the party summon forth a Tower at the base of the mining shaft and take a long needed rest. In the morning the party make the long 2 day trek back to the city of Ha’Kym’Ha-lil.

Upon returning the city, the party goes about gaining their room at the Shepard’s Rest Inn, and selling their loot and contract at the headquarters of Strong Arm Weapon Smithing. Negotiations don’t go well, and although the company complies with most of their contract, debates about the damaged items do not go well.

And so BurkaBurka manages to contact Dahlia Ehnson with a heavily disguised Jezi to sell off the rest of their loot.

The next week, the party goes about doing some downtime activities and shopping in the city.
Tund’r spends the week purchasing spells and spell books and takes time to copy an extra spell book in case of emergency.

Lenny rents a room the Arcanum College of Ha’Kym’Ha-lil, and begins researching and creating a new spell, Lenny’s Lightning Bomb.

Animated Burka visits an elderly Halfling napper named Edgar Coldmesa to have his pieces of obsidian forged into 5 daggers that are masterworked superior but with fragile quality (item breaks with an attack roll of a natural 1). Later he visits an Enchanter mage residing at the Arcanum College named Hector to have his Mithril daggers enchanted with +1 and Returning qualities at the price of 2000 gp each dagger and 4 weeks total of craft time.

Ra-Ra purchases a set of enchanted Gauntlets of Ogre Power from Shaveve at the Magic Tower Store, in exchange for Burka and Lenny set up an underground fighting ring for the Orc so he might show his martial superiority.

Jezi receives her map of the Nymph’s grove in the Silver Oak Forest far, far to the north of the city from the Halfling Bard. She spends time also at the college and some coin to research the travel ahead in hopes to find her tribe.


Treasure – Lots of loot sold in town. A legacy item called Flames Arc (+1 Flames Tongue Halberd)