Adventure: Into the Silver Realm (Dungeon #43)
DM: Craig
Date: Sunday 19th & 26th May 1996
TheWolfsheads: Gilfronden, Murwood, Peregrin, Aldor, Morilin
The adventure begins with the Wolfsheads resting in Waterdeep after their last adventure. They are approached by a noble from Mirabar whose lands are being ravaged by a red dragon, she asks the Wolfsheads to rid her fife of this menace. Of course they agree.
Travelling north to the Valley of Khedrun the Wolfsheads find many signs of the dragons work and soon locate the lair in the side of Cinderspire Mountain. After a brief exploration Peregrin locates the dragon (It isn’t exactly hard to miss). The party retreat to form plans.
Aldor says "hang on a minute there must be more to it than this...you just don’t walk up and bash a dragon". They then proceeded to explore all possibilities: its an illusion, it is only a baby dragon... the mother must be about and she will attack us, etc. Eventually they decide to attack so Peregrin creeps forward and attempts to sneak around the beast- unfortunately the dragon was awake and flames him (and the others).
They attack. What they didn’t realise that the githyanki have had quite a while to plan an ambush. While Aldor and Murwood are attacking the dragon the Githyanki attack from the rear. Morgana and Peregrin flee leaving Aldor and Murwood to fight the lot. A few more Githyanki arrive. Aldor and Murwood slay the dragon and try to flee. Aldor’s plane shift spell is ruined (thanks to a Githyanki sword) and Murwood loses a hand and falls unconscious to the floor (he failed a system shock roll). When he awakes he polymorphs into a hawk and flees. Aldor is forced to flee back the way they came and only just manages to get out of the cavern ahead of the githyanki. The Wolfsheads then make a hurried retreat to the cloud castle. Morilin had 4 hps, Peregrin 2 hps and Aldor 1 hp).
A few days later they once again assault the fortress, this time in an attempt to discover how many githyanki are there and for what purpose. They kill a guard patrol and then begin to explore the lair. They locate and free 28 slaves but as they are doing so a githyanki spellcaster drops a fireball in the room- no more slaves. The Wolfsheads are trapped in the room.
A bloody battle ensures in which the githyanki are defeated. However by the end of the melee Aldor and Murwood are unconscious and Morgana slain. Only Peregrin managed (fluked) to save the day by bravely taking on the githyanki leader in hand-to-hand combat and managing to roll a 20! The leader, who was reduced to 2 hps, was forced to plane shif.
Sunday May 26th
The Wolfsheads launch another assault on the githyanki fortress (after having spent several days in Mirabar). Unfortunately the assault goes badly. Once again they fail to check the front cavern for secret doors so are attacked from behind by a large force of githyanki warriors. Peregrin is held in the first round.
Aldor and Murwood engage the githyanki while Morilin casts spells. However, Aldors new ring of ogre power is actually a ring of weakness and he does fight very well. Several githyanki are killed after fireball and web spells from Morilin. Morilin is caught by a lightning bolt followed by several magic missiles and goes down. Aldor casts dispel magci to free Peregrin and Murwood almost goes down (he just shape changes in time). Aldor and Murwood lead the retreat. Most githyanki are killed by the party is forced to leave Morilin behind.
A few days pass before the Wolfsheads try another assault. This time they locate the illusionary wall and find the now empty lair (the githyanki have retreated to the Astral plane). The Wolfsheads decide to follow the githyanki through a portal they have located- but only after disguising themselves as githyanki warriors.
The Wolfsheads examine the fortress (Mindspear castle) but fail to locate Morilin- they almost enter the dungeons but decide against that particular portal. Eventually the locate the central nerve centre and are attacked by the Githyanki commanders- who beat the crap out of the Wolfsheads. The party is left with no option but to flee the fortress.
Returning to the Forgotten Realms the party uses stone shape to block off the passage to the portal, followed by several rock to muds and mud to rocks to seal off the fortress- was it a success? I don’t think so....