Fireday, Calistril 21

We are finally putting some distance between ourselves and Magnimar and I am happier for it. As much as I enjoyed visiting with family and friends, there was always this constant reminder of why I had left and I suppose I’ve also become accustomed to our travels, and a lifestyle that ties us to nowhere in particular.

We’ve been joined by Takkad, who refers to himself as a healer. It is obvious to all that there is a religious aspect to this, but for whatever reason he does not talk a great deal about it. To each their own. My friends actually gave me a bit of a hard time for what they say was more an interrogation than conversation when we were finally introduced, but what did they expect? I am told he had been watching us for a few days– at which point I did recall seeing him in the inn on several occasions, I had just not put much thought into it at the time– and with our recent experience with shapeshifters and Xanesha I thought a bit of caution was in order, especially when a man claiming to be a healer just happens to come along at exactly the moment when we are in need, and still hurting from Olithar’s death.

Shalelu also found us again (how does she do that?) and asked to join us on our journey to Turtleback Ferry. At first I was as cautious with her as I was with Takkad. How many coincidences could we have in one week? But it did not take long to put that fear at ease, especially once the stories about Sedgewick came out. How she managed to stay in his company for so long remains a mystery with me, though obviously her patience did have its limits.

I assume her motivations for joining lie in her kinship with the rangers up north. I know she was not “hired” by the mayor as we were. I always suspected our rather large “gift” was something of an unspoken retainer, and now I know. I am not offended by this, it’s just less direct than I prefer to be. This has earned me more a small amount of ribbing from my companions.

We cross the river in the morning, and then begin our travel through the forest. I asked Shalelu what to expect, as she has been this way before, and her reply was a unhelpful side comment about gnomes. It was the voice of someone with a great deal of patience; patience that had not quite reached its limit. I wonder what that says about Sedgewick.

Moonday, 20 Abadius

The service for Olithar is done, and the freshness of his death is beginning to fade a bit. I realized I could do with a bit more training during this apparent lull of lawlessness. I gave 225 gp to Sabin to make me scrolls of see invisible, make invisible, and spider climb while I went to do training.

Although my efforts took about four weeks this time, I am able to spend evenings away from the labs and the specially constructed rooms, and be with the group of people who, I now readily admit, I call friends. It was during these times that we also have come to know a man who, at first, seemed to be watching us. Upon talking with him, it seems it was more a matter of looking for an opportunity to meet with us. The pub provided both.

Takkad, it seems, also has a score to settle with Xaneesha, or at least her followers. He was a member of another band of mercenaries trying to prevent the murders in the city, and he saw many of his friends die. I think he’s out for revenge, yet he seems so calm and measured. “He was always such a quiet man.” On the other hand, he does seem skilled in the healing arts, and we do seem to be a troupe who excels in bloodying themselves.

Upon completion of my training, I also will know two new spells: fireball (in a way, replacing our lost Olithar’s skill) and disrupt undead, a rather low level spell which nevertheless might be able to slowly destroy an undead creature.

Toilday, 11 Calastril

The Mayor called us together to thank us again, and oh, by the way, now that we’ve proven ourselves capable of large difficult tasks, would it be any trouble to take on this one rather small task as, you know, a special favor?

Seems there’s this band of rangers to the east that have been affiliated with Magnimar in the past. They help protect a town over there … Turtleback Ferry. They’d had a little trouble with ogres and the like, but the order of the Black Arrows had helped keep things on an even keel. Except, they haven’t been heard from for a while now. Could we please go see if they were okay? Here’s 300 gold, each. If there’s any trouble, I’m sure you’ll do fine.

Well, this isn’t an afternoon type of thing. This is probably a week and a half to two week journey. That’s just getting there! We’ll be taking a little time to collect items, plus my training isn’t quite done yet.

We’ve decided on several expenditures — horses for all, suitable for light combat, at about 110gp each, and the party is buying an actual bag of holding (type I). I myself decided to acquire a handy haversack. It’s only 5 lbs but is like a bag of holding in that it can carry much more.

Wealday, 12 Calistril

According to the rest of the group, Shalelu approached them today and asked to come along. Rigel gave her a steely eye but her spirits seemed to improve when she learned that the bard Sedgwick had mysteriously disappeared. We’ve unanimously agreed she would be useful to have along, especially since she mentioned she’s familiar with the route to Turtleback Ferry.

Toilday, 18 Calastril

We’re estimating an 8-10 day journey to Turtleback Ferry. We’ll go by way of Nybor (about 3 days distant) which we are told is roughly the size of Sandpoint.

Oathday, 20 Calastril

Arrived at Nybor, about on time. It’s what we were told it would be, except the inns are more pleasant than what I expected.

From here, the Old Sanos Trail leads along the foothills of the Malgorian Mountains. Legend has it that the trail moves if you wish ill to gnomes. It’s funny the superstitions that different areas of the land develop!

Starday, 22 Calastril

Well, Tekkad has already proven his worth! At watch last night he noticed a giant snake trying to make Nolin be a meal rather than a fighter. It was ultimately dispatched, and it will serve as food and maybe trading fodder at the next trading post.

We’re estimating 5 days to Bitter Hollow. Shalelu says we’ll cross the “wicker way” which resembles a boardwalk over what would otherwise be a very marshy trail.

Oathday, 27 Calastril

Again, we made good time and did indeed reach Bitter Hollow in 5 days. Shalelu carefully describes Bitter Hollow as “less civilized” than Turtleback Ferry, and it does seem much more of a frontier town. There’s maybe 50 people or so who seem to reside in or near this town. The Gator’s Nest is the local trading post, and we hastily traded some supplies for our snake meat.

We got to Turtleback Ferry about an hour before dark. The Turtle’s Parlor is the only inn in town, so we set up accomodations and headed to the common room.

We started asking about the rangers, and learned that no rangers had come to town for supplies for several weeks, which was unusual.

Fireday, 28 Calastril

As the innkeeper went about his tasks today, I noticed an odd but significant tattoo on his back. It was a sihedron. When I asked him about it, though, he got angry and denied it was there .. which was odd because I’m sure I saw it.

Eventually he was able to tell us that it indicated he was a regular customer of the Paradise, which was a large boat that offered entertainment like gambling and ladies-for-rent. However, a few weeks ago, the entire boat caught on fire and sank to the bottom of Claybottom Lake, taking a number of customers and presumably the proprietor, an attractive lady, with it.

The same timeframe that the rangers stopped checking in. Coincidence? Maybe.

They never found the boat. It was out in the middle of the lake when it caught on fire. It would come into shore to pick up customers, and then head out to the middle for the evening. Nobody went looking for it because the lake has some serious predators residing in it.

We’ve decided to head north to the Fort and see if we can get to the bottom of this.

Later, 28 Calastril

Never did make it to the fort, but we were seriously distracted.

We had not gone far when Kane and Rigel heard the cries of an animal in pain. Not too far off the trail there was a bear in a trap. Rigel thought this was not a normal bear, and I must admit, I’d have expected a trapped animal to be angry, and it almost seemed to be whimpering. Tekkad healed it, and as Rigel manipulated the lock to release it, we heard the sound of dogs baying in the distance, and getting closer. When released, the bear didn’t run away, and didn’t attack her. It thanked her with big wet sloppy tongue kisses before turning to growl in the direction of the approaching dogs.

We decided to defend the bear.

I pulled out my disguise hat and willed it to make me look more like a hunter. Kane took to a tree. When the dogs burst upon the scene, it was obvious they were trained hunting dogs. They sized up the situation and immediately moved to surround us, although the did look a little hesitant at the size of our party (plus the bear!).

They were quickly dispatched. But interestingly, I tried to give the bear some commands, and he seemed to understand me a little. Clearly this bear was no ordinary bear.

While the fighters were having no trouble with the dogs, I ran in the direction they’d come from. Trained dogs don’t usually hunt alone. And sure enough, trying to keep up with the dogs was coming an ogre! Well, smallish one. And, as it turned out, youngish one.

Also, it really wasn’t a true ogre; those things are huge. But it was some sort of ogre/human cross, called an ogrekin, and appeared to be the mental age of about 5-7 human years old. And it seemed to respond well when treated like a young child too. Rukus, as we found it’s name was, willingly handed over its weapon, and gave us some information about its family before, ultimately, we killed the abomination. We discovered its blanket seemed to be made from a collection of Black Arrow emblems. This did not bode well.

One of the pieces of information he’d provided was that they had captured (and eaten, ugh) humans — given the patches, the rangers from the fort would be a first choice, each of us thought. But it seemed there might be several more ogrekin there, and we weren’t sure how many of those we could handle at one time. Even this young one was amazingly strong.

Avia and Rigel scouted ahead a bit and almost literally stumbled over another ogrekin about Rukus’ size. They managed to dispatch it, but Avia came back with some good bruises and bloody parts.

We retrieved

[244] a +1 ogre hook
[245] A ring of protection +1
[246] A amulet of natural armor, +1
[247] spear, +1
[248] Belt of +2 strength

So it was we decided to call on Mammy and Pappy Ogrekin. We approached a small, previously abandoned homestead. The two prominent features wer a farmhouse on the left, and a barn on the right. Everyone decided to go to the farmhouse.

Although we are usually pretty careful about traps, I’m thinking that the familiar setting of a rural home lulled us into a sense of false security. Avia detected no evil, but we failed to check for traps. Just as you might think, when Sabin opened the door he was hit by a couple of traps. First he got stabbed in the face by a hidden part of a wind chime, then attacked from beneath by large steel tines that came up through the floor boards. Not a pretty sight. Healers jumped to Sabin’s and Avia’s wounds.

Then we noticed the Really Bad Smell. But before investigating it too much, we did check for traps. And found a couple. It was easy enough to disarm them, but I don’t think we’ll make the mistake of not checking again.

Avia detected evil to our left, and since a corridor led that way, we went with the paladin’s senses. We opened the door at the end of the corridor, only to find ogrekin that we later identified as Mammy (who complained a lot), Benk, Kunkal, and Hodge.

The last three, judging from their pale pallor, were undead. If killing ogrekin was so hard, what would we do with undead ogrekin?

No matter, the battle was joined and all pitched in. The big fat sloppy ogrekin that was sitting on the bed, stretching it to the limits, was apparently a magic user. But our own magic users were able to cast an enfeeblement spell on her that made her stupid, meaning she forgot a lot of her spells, and at that point we had her. Rigel did some amazing stuff with her arrows again, and soon their bodies were spread on the floor.

My new disrupt dead spell came extremely handy. We eventually killed all 4, and retrieved from the rubbery folds of Mammys fat abdomen

[249] Masterwork quarterstaff
[250] potion (cure light wounds)
[251] scroll (animate dead)
[252] wand of magic missile (caster level 3) [43]
[253] wand of enfeeblement [27]
[254] wand of vampiric touch [33]
[255] belt of mighty constitution (+2)
[256,257] two Varisian dolls

We’ve the rest of the house to search, yet, and the barn of course. I hope we’re not too late for the majority of the rangers.

== Moonday, Abadius 6, 4708; Magnimar, The Feisty Fox; Evening ==

This group appears to be a little disorganized, or perhaps it is their grief over their fallen comrade that makes them so unobservant of those around them.

I have watched them come and go from the common room of The Copper Griffin for much of the afternoon and learned a bit about each of them.

There are two fighters, muscular and well equipped, who seem all business with dour expressions and few words — all of them direct and to the point. They seem like lawful types, and the woman is probably a paladin. I take it from what little conversation of theirs I’ve overheard that the man was once a member of the Magnimar guard, but the background of the other is uncertain.

A very young man is a ranger or a spell caster, and this one is very talkative. Too talkative. Every thought that passes through his head seems to leap from his tongue as if escaping the cluttered and claustrophobic place of its birth. Or maybe this is but an act to put others off their guard.

And then there is the odd couple: a halfling and a small human woman. The two are inseparable and seem to have the same grace and furtive movements as Cyrith of the light fingers and dubious morals. The halfling seems very concerned about the safety of the woman, and hovers about her like a fruit fly about an over ripe peach. Maybe she is pregnant with his child?

I have met few half orcs in my travels, and none so friendly and talkative as Sabin. Or it might have been the large amount of drink he had consumed before staggering over to my table. Heavy with drink or not, he was still guarded in his conversation, and while he was willing to discuss adventuring in general, he shared nothing specific about the rest of his party or what they have been doing. He appears to be a rare blend of warrior and magic user.

I will continue my visits to the inn until either Sabin introduces me to his companions, or there is a good opportunity to introduce myself.

Watch and wait.
== Fireday, Abadius 17, 4708; Magnimar, The Feisty Fox; Evening ==

I have finally been introduced to the entire party, although it came about in a rather haphazard way.

Sabin and I were quietly talking at our usual table when several of his friends came over and sat down. The young man, Trask (definitely a spell caster) has started training and had a lot to share about it. Quite a lot. And before I knew it the entire group was gathered around listening to Trask while eyeing me with curiosity and suspicion.

As Trask showed no sign of slowing down, Sabin, Nolin (the warrior) and I went over to another, quieter table to talk business. We exchanged stories about our respective encounters with Xaneesha and her cult, and I learned that they had lost their primary healer in their assault on the Shadow Clock.

Their loss was certainly to my benefit as I specialized in healing and other clerical matters.

It turns out that the party had formed in an impromptu manner only six months before to deal with some unpleasantness in the coastal town of Sandpoint. They share their profits evenly among themselves, which is a pleasant change from the usual arrangement.

The paladin is Avia; the halfling is Kane, who is actually a healer; and Rigel serves as the party’s expert treasure hunter.

They were interested in my story of the cultists and my group’s failed trip to the saw mill, and said they would contact me later if they were interested in my services.

No doubt they would check out as much of my story as possible, although little enough of it is public knowledge.

No matter, I will continue my evening meetings with Sabin for friendship sake alone.

Watch and wait.

== Sunday, Abadius 19, 4708; Magnimar, The Feisty Fox; Evening ==

The group has decided to use my services, but for the time being there is little for us to do.

Neither they, nor I, nor my Irregulars have heard anything unusual that could be attributed to Xaneesha or her cultists.

Could it be that my new found friends had actually destroyed Xaneesha without realizing it, or is she is biding her time before acting again?

Nothing split seven ways is nothing, and while my daily expenses are small, they do exist, and my gold reserves are slowly dwindling.

Watch and wait.

== Toilday, Calistril 11, 4708; Magnimar, The Feisty Fox; Evening ==

We gathered again this evening because the Lord Mayor has hired us (300 gold pieces each in advance!) for a special job.

A town to the north, Turtleback Ferry, had been having trouble with a number of ogres and their ilk and had requested aid from the nearby cities. Magnimar had been the only one to respond and sent a troupe of rangers, the Order of the Black Arrows, to set up an outpost there and deal with the problem.

Things had gone well for some time, with regular reports arriving weekly from their headquarters at Fort Rannick. But the reports stopped coming and were now long overdue, and the Mayor was concerned over the safety of his rangers.

We were to travel up to Turtleback Ferry and investigate.

Trask still has a week’s worth of training, but the rest of us will prepare for the trip and we will leave on the 18th.

== Wealday, Calistril 12, 4708; Magnimar, The Feisty Fox; Evening ==

We had a small surprise this afternoon. We were gathered together in the The Copper Griffin’s common room when an elf clad as a ranger came over and asked to come along on our trip to Turtleback Ferry.

Her name is Shalelu, and my companions all knew her, but it became much colder at Rigel’s end of the table, and I noticed her glaring at the elf. At first I thought this must be some former lover of Kane’s, but Trask rather gleefully asked about someone named Sedgewick, whom apparently rather abruptly left the party (in general) and Rigel (in particular) to run off with Shalelu months before.

Shalelu is familiar with the way to Turtleback Ferry, which will prove useful, and so quite naturally we all voted for her to come along (with Rigel abstaining).

== Moonday, Calistril 17, 4708; Magnimar, The Feisty Fox; Evening ==

We leave on the morrow and I spent part of the week rounding up each of the Irregulars. I gave each a gold piece with the caution that it might be the last payment they receive from me for quite some time.

Most of them are street savvy and wise for their ages, but for some of the youngest ones I made sure they had an older companion to look out for their interests while I was away.

The most talented of my band of spies, an eleven year old girl who answers to Atuni, I have left with an organization with whom she can build a future. I have paid for her tuition and boarding for a full year, and have little doubt she will be more than able to earn her own way beyond that should I not return.

== Toilday, Calistril 18, 4708; The Lost Coast Road; Evening ==

Finally, we are on the coast road not far from Sandpoint. We have been riding steadily all day long and hope to complete our journey in 10 days or less.

The conversation around the small camp fire turned to encounters on previous trips along this same road. On one such trek they saw a huge black winged horse, known locally as the Sandpoint Devil, leap into the sky. On another a group of gigantic lizards attacked them.

They also discussed some haunted mansion to the west of here called “The Misgivings”, where apparently they still had unfinished business of which they spoke with dread.

We’ve set the schedule for the watch that we will follow for the remainder of the trip. I share the third watch with Nolin.

It will be a cold night.

== Oathday, Calistril 20, 4708; Nybor; Evening ==

We arrived in Nybor after dark. The trip has thus far been uneventful, which is hardly to be surprised with such a large group of well arrayed travellers, each mounted on his or her own war horse.

The town is small and it is hard to tell much about it in the dark, but they have an inn with four rooms for us to share, and a hot meal is waiting.

== Fireday, Calistril 21, 4708; The Sanos Forest; Evening ==

Nybor must be a picturesque town, perched on the southern most shores of the Ember Lake, and the western end of the Sanos Forest, but we left before dawn and so its charms remained masked by the darkness.

We crossed the river on town ferry, which is guided by one set of ropes and is pulled across by another. It took two crossings to get all of us and our horses over, and from there the trail immediately plunged into the dim forest.

Shalelu said the trail was safe enough, as long as you harbored no ill will towards gnomes. We saw a few gnomes at the inn, but we will be passing to the east of a large gnome settlement on our way through the Sanos. I have met many gnomes and get along with them as well as any other race, although I admit to chuckling out loud when I remember poor Og’s comment, “They taste like chicken!” I’m fairly sure he was joking.

It made for a nice change to move through the forest, and the soft earth trail covered by a cushion of leaves and needles has met with the approval of our steeds.

It is oddly quiet, but more in a muffled sort of way than disturbing.

Thick clouds rolled in after lunch, but it does not feel like rain. Darkness came early beneath the canopy, and we were forced to make camp before our usual time. We are mindful of the forest, and our camp fire is quite small compared with the blazes from our previous evenings on the road.

== Starday, Calistril 22, 4708; The Sanos Forest; Evening ==

A giant snake attacked our camp last night during Nolin’s and my watch, but we quickly dispatched it; and I spent the rest of our watch butchering the animal and smoking its flesh over the fire. Snake is tasty, and there is enough here to last us for a long while.

The day itself passed without event, or a glimpse of the sun for that matter, but other than a few hesitant drops, it has remained dry.

== Oathday, Calistril 27, 4708; Turtleback Ferry; Evening ==

The cold rain began overnight, and we quickly broke camp and continued along the path. The forest soon gave way to an open but boggy woodlands, and not long after that we came to the end of the trees altogether. A long sliver of marshy ground, the Shimmerglens, stretches from Coal Lake to the north down nearly all of the way to Lake Syrantula. The Skull River flows through the middle of this land of fens, connecting the two lakes.

The rain renewed its assault with vigor, and travel by horseback would have proven all but impossible but for the most remarkable of structures: a boardwalk, aptly named “The Wicker Way”, which connected the Old Sanos Way to the small hamlet of Bitter Hollow on the river.

There is little to commend about Bitter Hollow, other than the strong will of its people, who built and maintained the passage over the marsh. But the town is filthy, as if all of the industry of its citizens was expended upon the Wicker Way, leaving none for cleaning.

We paused briefly to barter our smoke snake meat for some supplies at The Gator’s Nest, and pushed on through the wet and gathering gloom.

We were thoroughly soaked by the time we rode into Turtleback Ferry and sought refuge at the town’s only inn, The Turtle’s Parlor.

We queried the inn keeper about the rangers at For Rannick. He said the fort was thirty miles up the river, and the that rangers mostly kept to themselves, but came into town on a regular basis. It had been at least two weeks since their last visit, which he admitted was unusual.

== Fireday, Calistril 28, 4708; Turtleback Ferry; Morning ==

After a comfortable night spent in the common room next to the large hearth we purchased more provisions for the trek north. As the inn keeper bustled about, Trask noticed a small tattoo on the innkeeper that looked like a sihedron.

We carefully looked at the other people milling about, and noticed another man with the same tattoo.

I mentioned the tattoo to the innkeeper, and he was reluctant to talk about it, but with a little encouragement he told us a disturbing story.

A while back a large boat showed up on the lake, run by an elegant lady who offered various forms of entertainment like gambling, drinking and whoring. The quality of services offered by Lucretia on the Paradise were well above average, and each evening the boat would dock at Turtleback Ferry, take on its load of eager customers, and then sail out into the lake until the wee hours of the morning.

Regular customers were offered the seven rayed star tattoo, which would give them discounts on board the Paradise.

A few weeks ago the entire boat with a full load of customers caught fire and sank into the murky waters of the lake — a lake filled with ferocious predators that prevented escape or any sort of investigation of the sunken wreck.

We none of us liked this news. There is too much coincidence here: the sihedron symbol associated with a beautiful and powerful woman — just as in Magnimar.

== Fireday, Calistril 28, 4708; Ogrekin Farm Stead; Noon ==

The rain resumed its steady assault as we followed the road north and back over the river. We caught glimpses of the very southern tip of The Storval Deep, on the far northern shores of which my clan has made many a camp.

The rain slowed and then stopped as ragged clouds parted to reveal a few patches of blue. The tips of mountain peaks peeped over the tops of the trees, but as we moved north the forest closed in, limiting our view to a hundred yards in any direction.

Shalelu lead the way, but it was Kane and Rigel who heard the muffled cries of an animal in pain. Rigel crept through the undergrowth and came upon a bear with its leg caught in a steel trap. It saw Rigel and let out a whimper, like a dog. The rest of us gathered around, and when Rigel released the trap the bear lavished her face with wet sloppy kisses.

Obviously this was a companion to someone… probably a ranger. I healed the bear’s wound as we heard the approaching sound of dogs baying. We moved forward into a small clearing when the pack of dogs burst through the shrubs and attacked.

The dogs were quickly killed, but a loud humanoid came crashing into the clearing where it stopped and stared at us. It wiped the drool from its chin before shouting out, “I is hunting that bear, so unless you wants to be hunted too you better stay clear.”

It looked like a small, deformed ogre — an ogrekin: the misbegotten offspring of an ogre and some poor captive. It then noticed the slain dogs laying about and burst into tears sobbing, “My dogs! My dogs!”

Trask was able to talk it into surrendering its spear (a very nice weapon), and then got it to tell us about where it came from. It, or he, said his name was Rukus, and he lived with his “mammy” and siblings a ways further on. He got his spear from the humans that his family had caught “and killed and et.”

He then showed us a blanket he carried that his mammy made, and Shalelu gasped: it was made from a collection of Black Arrows emblems!

We sent Rigel and Avia ahead to explore, and another ogrekin attacked them, but they made short work of it. They continued on until they caught sight of a farm-stead — a house and a barn — a mile or so from our clearing.

[244] +1 ogre hook
[245] iron ring of +1 protection (Avia)
[246] amulet of +1 natural armor (Nolin)
[247] +1 spear
[248] belt of +2 strength (Nolin)

Rukus was sent along to meet his brother in ogrekin heaven, and quietly we made our way to the small settlement. It was all in a ruinous state of disrepair and unpleasant smells wafted out from both buildings. Sad patches of crops could still be seen amidst the riot of weeds, but they were all wilted and dying.

Small human fetishes, made from sticks and bits of fabric and stuffed with mud and human hair, were set out about the path that led up to the house.

We opted to check out the house first, reasoning the ogrekin would be more comfortable in the barn and might use the house to keep prisoners. The windows on the first floor were boarded up, and there was a wide porch up front and a rickety set of stairs leading up.

The porch roof was held aloft by thick pine pillars crudely carved to depict gruesome things: manticores impaling children, wolves devouring women, and other obscenities. A large rocking chair made from various body parts sat off to one side while a wind chime of human bones clattered in the breeze.

Kane, Avia and Sabin climbed onto the porch and listened for a while, but all was quiet within. Sabin then opened the door, and as he did spikes shot out from the wind chimes as blades cut up through the floor boards, slashing the trio. I was surprised that Rigel had not gone up to check for traps, but apparently Kane has some skill in this area, but had simply forgot.

After a small amount of healing Rigel and I went into the house and the others followed, although Shalelu and the bear remained outside. It stank within. Really badly. The interior decor matched the exterior: a dire beg pelt lay on the floor before a large couch made from all sorts of disgusting things.

Avia detected an evil presence to the left, and so we checked the only other door for traps. The door opened to a large hallway that continued north, and branched to the left, with various closed doors on either side. Rigel did the usual for the door to the left, and Avia burst into the room.

A giant bed took up much of the space, and laying upon it was a gross, bloated ogrekin, with layers of fat rolling down from its head in waves, and pustules that wept greasy yellow excretions. Atop its head were thin lank locks of oily hair, and it opened its jowly mouth and shrieked for its offspring to come to its aid.

There was little doubt we had found mammy.

Keeping her company was a triplet of ogrekin, each boasting some horrific deformity, but all undead. They pressed the physical attack while surprisingly mammy launched devastating magical attacks that sapped abilities. Rigel moved in with her bow and began to shoot things at point blank range with good results.

Avia took the brunt of the spell effects, but still managed to cut through one of the undead ogrekin. Sabin also joined in the action, and I wiggled into the room to channel energy against the surviving two undead, which were quickly destroyed.

Mammy was of sterner stuff, and things may have gone worse had Sabin not touched her with an Enfeeblement spell, rendering her mostly impotent, and eventually dead.

This place makes me want to vomit: there are coffins in the north side of this room containing the remains of who knows what, and the stench is truly awful.

But we must find out what happened to the rangers, and so we press on.

[249] masterwork quarter staff
[250] potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
[251] scroll of Animate Dead
[252] wand of level 3 magic missile [43 charges]
[253] wand of Enfeeblement [27 charges]
[254] wand of vampiric touch [33 charges]
[255] belt of +2 constitution
[256-257] Varisian dolls [used when summoning creatures for extra HD]