Summary after the break.
Day 5 – Leyf, Amarouq, Dorito, Calyx
Leaving the orc campsite behind, our adventurers head out into the open icy air near the top of the mountain. As promised, Zothak greets them and directs them up a path towards the entrance (for humanoids) to the cave where the aforementioned smexy white dragon lurks. Approaching the gate, some hired guards stop them. They sit atop towers on either side of a large icy barrier. Forgoing all attempts at diplomacy (“NONE SHALL PASS”), they ignore the stabs of the guards and smash down the barricade, spotting a flaw for the killing blow. They then race into the wintry courtyard, to be greeted by another guard and some Evil Dwarven Hammerers. One of the Dwarves runs up a steep slope to a catwalk and begins hurling axes at the players. They take out the guard on foot fairly early, and topple the towers so as to get at the other guards. The Dwarves give them the most trouble, but together, the two fighters (through some incredibly complex marking and challenges) manage to take them out with some backup and healing by Leyf and Amarouq. Cleaning the blood from their weapons, they enter the ice caves.
The first room is filled with Kobolds: Dragonshields, a Slyblade, a Wyrmpriest, and lots of Minions. Slaughtered.
The second room has 2 other doorways and a staircase. And some Kobold archers. And two guards. And a Troll. This is a bit harder. The troll goes down with a well-placed encounter power or two, plus lots of other attacks and opportunities due to the marking systems. The guards follow suit, and Amarouq Magic-Missiles the archers to death. Still no loot. They interrogate the guards as to what lies in the other rooms. He reveals there to be a treasure room, a prison, and something else up the staircase. They head to the treasure room (obviously).
But not before they encounter the Hatchery! There’s an adorable baby white dragon wyrmling who takes an affinity to Leyf after he feeds him an apple. The path to the treasure room is blocked, however, by a pulsating iceshroom, which deals damage and forces anyone back who dares come near it. With much assistance (and much trial and error), Dorito, newly trained in Thievery with the Warlock Multiclass Feat (Pact Initiate), manages to disable the hazard.
Entering into the treasure room, they make quick work of the kobold guards and loot the place. They find some robes of protection, some money, and lots of alchemical reagents and healing potions. I don’t remember what else.
Cue LotR: Conquest. Oh, and cookout w/brats and hotdogs. Nummy!
Day 6 – Leyf, Calyx, ghost Amarouq (played by Calyx)
Only 2 players makes for a surprisingly streamlined game. They head straight to the Prison, where they gamble and win with the Frost Imps on guard. Through successful negotiations, they manage to score passage and “Jimmy, the Enchanted Amulet,” an artifact which Calyx takes, much to the chagrin of the Imps. They’re glad to be rid of that nuisance. Additionally, they learn about Glacerus, the necromancer who is assembling an undead army here in these halls, who is also working (?) with the dragon somehow. They pass a sleeping Frost Bear on the way out, who was hiding behind a staircase/ledge/jail-cell thing.
In the next room, the Chokepoint, they make quick work of a Frost Armor Doll, but the Magic Ice Wall proves difficult, especially when the floor is slippery (DC 15 Acrobatics to keep balance) and the entire room is frostbitten (+8 vs Fort: 1d4+1 damage, and the target is slowed, miss being half damage.). So they take more damage from that than the Frost Armor Doll, and slip and slide to the other side, Amarouq electing to grant Calyx a longjump. They had managed to roll successful Arcana checks to find the weak points in the Magic Ice Wall, so the single 20 damage attack did it in.
They then enter the Resurrection Room. Which is great to say, provided that Glacerus has a German accent; “Velkommen, Mein Brezhren!” At first, he mistakes them for allies from Didax (they’re wearing the Pimp-hats from before) and they manage to get a lot out of him about the state of affairs (multiple sorcerers working together to commit high treason against Hyperion, lore about crystals and necromancy, other useful tidbits) before Amarouq unsuccessfully casts Sleep on him, starting the biggest boss battle ever. The first move by Glacerus is to summon 10 Zombie Rotters, 4 Zombie Shamblers, and animate the statues into Chillborn Guards. He also dismisses Schroeder, an undead subservient mage, presumably to warn the other sorcerers about the undercover cop force. Throughout this massive battle, they are subject to throngs of zombie wading over and slamming their heads into them, trying to score a bite. They take so much damage that Leyf exausts his Inspiring Words and two Healing Potions, and Amarouq falls unconscious (to be stabilized by Leyf). All the while, Glacerus exhausts his encounter powers and beats them over and over with HIS Magic Missile. Once the party exhausts THEIR encounters AND dailies, they finally take on Glacerus, who tricks Calyx into falling down a trapdoor, further buying him time to castmore Magic Missiles. They get him on the ropes at 4hp, whereupon he teleports (He’s Eladrin) far across the room. Calyx, fed up, throws his canteen at Glacerus, and rolls 4, the maximum damage to be done on an improvised ranged weapon, successfully knocking Glacerus to the ground.
Spurting blood from his mouth, he curses the party, and is promptly struck on the head after refusing to tell them anything useful. They tie him up and cast Tenser’s Floating Disc, shuttling him around with them, whacking him again whenever he regains consciousness. Dinner break — CHINESE FOOD YEAH!
They then enter the Lair of the smexy white dragon, Ežaretta. She admits to being Muko’s (the wyrmling) older sister, and is charged with guarding him whilst her mother is away. They introduce themselves to her and start talking about Zothak. With many 20s rolled, she takes a liking to him, and she takes a shining to moonshine–er, ah, Dwarven Ale (Calyx had that cask, remember?). She won’t be parted with her sibling (her mother would kill her) but she agrees that, with those four Turquoise gems and more of that Dwarven Ale, she’ll agree to a date with Zothak and let the party have a crack at disloging the magic crystal from it’s place under an icy encasement — but ONLY if the date goes well.
The party exits the cave, passing through the prison. Now the Imps are breakdancing, and Calyx intimidates the bear into pushing the door open. Unfortunately, the Imps notice the bound and gagged Glacerus being trucked out on the Disc and run to the attack, but Calyx and Leyf manage to slam the heavy door in their faces and break for it.
Outside, they explain the situation to Zothak, who rushes off to get more Ale and flies to the dragon-entrance to Ežaretta’s cave. The party beds down and waits for sunrise and Zothak’s news.
Zothak returns. She didn’t put out, but it was good anyway. He says she wants to see them, she owes them something, or whatnot. He’ll stay outside and wait for them to return. So they enter.
And they have to go though the prison.
And the you-know-whats are still pissed.
And Calyx’s parent arrives.
And we won’t be back until the 21st.