Game Notes: Session VII

Gameplay began in Likolik’s hut, where Floyd decided that he posessed the information that he needed, and he wasn’t likely to win a fight between himself, Likolik, and the Chief. Floyd returns to the gang, and tells them where they need to go to find the hammer – a destination in the swamp a day and a half’s journey from the Lizardfolk village. The boys set out on the journey, and that evening run into a party of Lizardfolk, led by Likolik, who have come out to murder / sabotage the party and their efforts (Likolik feels that the party would be disturbing a holy shrine). The party dispatches the Lizardfolk, beheading him (some survivors manage to run away), but not without some difficulty – the Entangle spell lesson is re-learned.

After this encounter, the party rests, which adds a day to their travel. They arrive at the holy site, and discover stone statues all around. Floyd and Virgil spot and quickly identify a Basilisk, but Floyd is turned to stone before he can warn the others. The party fights and defeats the Basilisk, but Virgil is also turned to stone. The remaining party members skin the beast, cut out its eyes, and retreive the hammer. They return to the village without incident, and upon arrival, they display Likolik’s head and march to his hut, where they find an ointment designed to cure Flesh to Stone or bestow the Stoneskin spell on one who is not stone. The party finds that the Chief greets news of Likolik’s death with ambivilence, and that Arthur has not been killed in retalilation. Arthur, having fully recovered from his snake bite ordeal, is made to accompany the party back to the site (in order to help him flesh out his story of heroism). Arthur blanches at the sites of the slaughtered Lizardfolk and the Basilisk corpse.

The party restores Virgil and Floyd, as well as the one stone statue that seemingly had been turned only reecently (and was not eaten away by the Basilisk or time). This person turns out to be an elf that works for Doogal, and in the course of his conversation with the party, they learn that Gruth and his team had decided to visit the Old Mill. Shortly thereafter, Guy notices that he is no longer haunted by dreams. The elf maintains an attitude that does not sit well with Guy, and Guy kills the elf, which disturbs Arthur greatly. The party returns to town – taking Arthur back to his parents. Arthur decides that he does not wish to take credit for the party’s adventures. After a brief stop at the Cracked Flagon to rest, the party returns to Guarm’s.

After having to explain to Guarm that they have not yet embarked on his job, the group heads to the Old Mill, despite Floyd’s objections. The party gets to the Old Mill site, and attempts to get close to the Mill, but fear overtakes most of the group, and they decide to double back and approach again the next day. That night, camping outside of the wheat field, a man (Tobias) from Gruth’s party wanders into their campsite. He has torn out his own eyes with terror. Tobias explains that Gruth’s party visited, and Gruth was overcome with fear, but sent the members of his party who could bear to continue on further. Then, something terrible happened that Tobias cannot seem to discuss rationally, and Gruth (seemingly) abandoned Tobias and the others to their fates. Tied into the terror of the Mill experience, Tobias finds himself unable to leave the wheat field.

The party subdues Tobias, and resumes their watch / sleep schedule, but Floyd asks MacGuffin to wake him up when it’s MacGuffin’s watch. When he does that, Floyd takes MacGuffin’s staff and knocks Guy out cold, tieing him up with the intention that he will lead the party away from the Old Mill the next day. Unfortunately for him, Virgil hears this, and sneaks off into the night. Floyd and MacGuffin discover Virgil’s disappearance, and wake up Brixmore, who fixates on Guy’s apprehension. Frustrated with the undoing of his plans, Floyd attempts to throw a torch into the wheat field, and end this nonsense once and for all, but the rest of the group subdues him, and convince him not to do this, though Floyd opts out of approaching the Mill himself, and offers to care for Tobias while they go.

The next day, the party leaves for the Old Mill, and manage to put aside their fear and get close to the building. When they finally reach the mill, they find the undead entity hanging from it virtually impossible to turn. They go into the mill. From afar, Floyd sees cracks in the fabric of the Material Plane beginning to appear, it seems to be tied in to the success of the party in getting close to the body. Believing that the party is about to unlock the gates to something, Floyd runs toward the mill.

The others, meantime, have climbed the steps and made their way out the window to determine what’s going on with the body and all of the strange, supernatural shit he’s causing. Floyd arrives in time to tell them about what’s going on, and as Brixmore attempts to turn the body once again, he finds a shaft of light destroys his holy energy that emanates from the symbol. Believing the magic to be tied into the noose, an attempt is made to hit the body with a blunted crossbow bolt, but the age of the mill and the rope, etc. cause the blade of the windmill to snap with the force of the hit, and the body is blown to the ground. MacGuffin makes his way downstairs to find the body, and the rest of the party sees what Floyd is seeing. A crescendo of wind and noise takes place, and then, very suddenly, the magic seems to be broken. Floyd and Brixmore come to the realization that the magic that bound the body to the mill was so strong, the possiblity of the disturbance brought the full might of the forces of good and evil to the forefront in case reality itself was threatened to be sundered.

The body, naturally, is missing, but the magic of the Old Mill is dispelled. The boys go about torching the wheat field and the mill. Brixmore decides that he needs to return to a church for a time to reflect on the religious implications of what has happened. Guy decides to get smart with Floyd about not joining them, and Floyd burns Guy in the back with a torch. This is the end of the session.

End of Session VII