Matthew Hunter

Alamar We finally got to Grindlebuck or whereever we were going, a city filled with dwarves, which is only marginally better than a city filled with fish that got ate by a demon. The first thing we saw was someone get murdered, so of course Alia took their purse. He had only 17gp so he certainly wasn’t killed because he was rich. Getting there was a bitch. We scared off the stirges, or maybe exterminated them entirely (I hope!

Fred After spending a few days healing in Eastdale, u-Heury felt well enough to walk around town. We visited the wizard and sold him the scroll of dim-in-you-son. I bought some gear and hired a guy and his dog, and we went out to the holy oak to try to trick the ghouls out of their treasure. When we spent the night there, we were attacked by glowing balls of light and had to use our pillows to fight them off!

Alamar I hate the underdark. We fought stirges, mermen, a water weird and it’s pet soggy mummy, and something else that I can’t even remember on our way between two cities that I definitely can’t pronounce. At least the mummy had treasure, even if the tapestries were waterlogged and probably now worthless. Do people mummify their ancestors, stuff treasure into their sarcophagi, and drop them down wells? Is that a thing?

Fred We headed north, finding another beach along the underground river. This one had a gnome tending fish traps. He said there are big lizards that take a tithe of his fish catch just to the east of his Beach, and we saw them for ourselves. Probably basilisks because they have weird swirly eyes. Ogbond the gnome introduced us to Grim, another gnome, who promised a 159gp gem if we killed two basilisks and a treasure map if we got all four.

Fred The ghouls came at us fast. Stria killed one with a headshot, and I landed a solid hit in return, but then everything seemed to go stiff and everyone started moving really fast. Their voices buzzed like flies! I kept trying to talk but no one listened, until somehow I fell into a boat and we sailed away from the ghouls. Everyone slowed down again once they were out of sight, but u-Heury was playing at being a statue, so I gave him a mousetache.

Fred The big hairy ranger called Bern came back with his friends on a stretcher. They said he was dead, but when I asked the head priest of Ygg about him, the priest said Bern was just resting and seemed eager to wash his hands of the man. I don’t understand. Bern’s a bit gruff and uncouth, but his heart’s in exactly the right place, slightly left of the spine and between his ribs.

Bern When I woke up the next morning, the weird barbed sword was gone. We looked and couldn’t find it anywhere. Weird. We took our two mules, 3 fighting men and a torchbearer. Well. Lantern bearer since I paid for a lantern. Feeling guilty about that damned box for some reason. And went back to the grotto after the magic box, in case it was worth something, whether still magical or just as a curiousity.

Alamar We made our way, with much starvation and thirst, to the underground city of Sloobubaloodoop or something like that. It was on the edge of an underground lake complex which we later learned was filled with fish very eager to eat or be eaten. However, our welcome to the city itself was somewhat lacking. First we met a group of fish people who wanted to sacrifice us to their father-god of fish.

Bern Once we finished picking up the treasure from the box, we took the time to search the bodies of the dead trogolodytes and the rest of their throne room. They were keepin’ skulls of their dead in a display case, complete with little labels. We took four of those. There was a snakeskin map and some blank snakeskin parchments. And, there was a short sword with jagged, serrated edges hidden in the cushion of a trashed sofa of some kind.

Alamar We wandered in the caverns for days, trying to find out way to the Dark Lake. Our fishy guide didn’t seem to know the way very well. And there was no food, no water. I was very hungry! Not something I am used to, normally it is the best of food and drink for the great Alamar. Fine wines and fine dining lead to fine ladies smiling! Eventually we found a mushroom called a barrel-something that held water and could be used as food.