The Adventure Continues...

Last night the group restarted the D&D 2nd Edition campaign that Max created and we started playing during the summer. The campaign is focused on a human paladin named Erikr (played by Pete), an elven ranger named Caelrath (played by John), and a dwarven cleric named Skurn (played by myself). There is another member of the party, an elven druid named Uskilian (played by Ackerman, but since he's out of town his character is off humping a tree somewhere). Also, soon to join the party is an elven rogue named Althor played by our newest member James. In fact, this would be James' first time playing D&D so we were looking forward to breaking his RPGing hymen.

So, after familiarizing ourselves with our characters and the world known as Arnor in the common tongue, we jumped into a new morning. The party awakens after a night of celebrating a ceremony held for Skurn the night before in which he become a Purifier of Rhugarth, the dwarven god of warfare. The group is in the barracks of Skurn's clergy. Caelrath awakens hungover, a victim of dwarven ale. Brother Barik brings a letter to Caelrath from Aremar, his father, informing him that his brother is at his father's house in the city above. (As a quick note I'll explain that the city "above" is the same as the city the party is in now. They are one city composed mostly of dwarves and elves and is named Unity) The letter stresses trouble at the Trigatha grove nearby, requiring assistance. Seeing the hook for a new quest before them, the party picks up their bags and marches to the surface.

After nearly a day of travel, the party reaches the home of Aremar. Elirail, Caelrath's brother, is found here with a bandaged arm and tells the group of the oddities going on in the local forest. Animals are being hunted, seemingly for sport, by unknown persons using elven arrows. These same unknown people also fire upon anyone attempting to leave the grove, which is how Elirail was shot and injured. Erikr notices that the bandage around Elirail's arm is bloody. Skurn, remembering that he's a cleric, offers to examine the wound, which is bleeding as if freshly made. Attempting a healing spell, the cleric feels a strong resistance that has the negative effect of causing Elirail to fall unconscious. As Aremar tends to his son, Skurn scans his Purifier's Tome, which he received in last night's ceremony, and locates descriptions of spells of similar effect. Wanting to try out one of the long rituals of healing recommended by the book, Skurn asks Aremar for a location to take Elirail and pray. Aremar offers a special room of his that is filled with piles of magical artifacts. Erikr and Caelrath take the unconscious elf on a cot to the room and close the door, leaving Skurn alone with him to pray.

While the dwarf does his clerical stuff, Erikr asks Aremar about a sword he left there a few days ago for him to study. Aremar explains that he examined the sword but was unable to determine the nature of its magical properties and offers it back to Erikr. Unsatisfied by this news, Erikr returns the sword to his possession. With that taken care of, and having eaten dinner from a cabinet in Aremar's kitchen that to Erikr's amazement provides endless amounts of food, the group heads to bed.

The next morning everyone is amazed to find Elirail at the kitchen table awake and eating. Caelrath realizes that Elirail is eating at a furious rate, consuming anything that comes out of the magical cabinet. After being asked about this Elirail comments that he just can't seem to stop. Hoping to find an answer, Erikr asks about the location of Skurn. Elirail says he didn't see him when he woke up. Erikr and Caelrath head into the room where Skurn was doing his prayer and can't locate him. They tell Aremar about this who thinks for a second before rushing back into the storage room and returning with a simple silver chain necklace in his hand. He informs the party that this necklace, which was located in the room with Skurn, is bewitched bewizarded to send someone of strong faith to another realm to be sacrificed. Detecting the evil of the necklace, Erikr asks as to why Aremar would suggest the cleric enter a room with such an item. To this Aremar presents the point that this magic, although evil, could aid in transportation if it were properly studied. This ignites bickering between Erikr, Caelrath, and Aremar goes for about 10 minutes before Aremar reveals that the necklace's magic will probably kill the cleric in a day and a half. More bickering occurs as the group tries to decide how to save Skurn. Finally, a solution is found by consulting another wizard who informs them that they simply have to disconnect a part of the necklace and the spell will end. Doing so, the party returns to the room to find Skurn there praying.

After Skurn fights back his anger over learning the circumstances of his near-death experience, the necklace is destroyed. Skurn informs the party that Elirail's wound appears to be fine but he is unsure as to the cause of the heavy eating. Aremar offers to look into it while the party heads to the forest to investigate the problem plaguing the grove. The party takes leave, but not before Skurn stops by the Twisting Delver tavern for some Holy Annihilation.

The journey to the forest is a quick two days and Elirail catches up to the party with a nice new haircut. He explains that after his father cut his hair, whatever spell was over him vanished. Before reaching the edge of the forest the party dons their respective armors. As they approach hawks fly overhead, which is unusual since Caelrath has noticed the lack of animal activity since they left the city. Thinking nothing of it the party enters the forest and is ambushed by a group of elves. The opening volley of arrows hits everyone in the party, doing minor damage. Skurn quickly places a prayer on the party before more shots are fired. Caelrath and Elirail fire back while Erikr loads his gun. Amongst the attacking elves is a young rogue named Althor who doesn't fire and steps back into the shadows. Dodging more arrows, Skurn picks up rocks and begins chanting a prayer. Elirail is hit by a few arrows but still manages to return fire, making a kill and inflicting some pain unto others. Caelrath avoids being shot but also avoids hitting anyone while Erikr takes a couple shots, making a couple kills in the process. Althor, wanting to end the fight, removes the arrows from the quiver of one of the attacking elves before attempting to hide again. After completing his prayer, Skurn throws the rocks in his hand at the last of the elves, killing one with a glancing blow from a rock, the elf having been injured previously. The other two stones ignite into flames before hitting another elf, igniting his clothes and burning him to death. Erikr runs in to face the last two elves. Caelrath manages to injure one of the elves while he attempts to grab another arrow from his empty quiver. The rest of the party closes in on the two elves and gets them to surrender. They tie them up before they head over to question Althor who is attempting to hide despite being covered in sunlight. Althor explains that he has no association with these elves and was merely being forced to work off a punishment for trying to steal a ruby in Treeshade. Interrogating the surviving elves and the thief, the party learns that the elves of Treeshade, a community that was once a grove, is killing animals to force the inhabitants of the various groves to spread further in their search for food, where they can easily be picked off and killed. The group decides to continue to the Trigatha grove with the prisoners and allow the council of elders to decide their fate and inform them of the recent information.

At the Trigatha grove the party discovers the elders have left for a large gathering of High Druids from all the groves. After spending five days training to pass the time, the elders return and inform the entire grove that they are going to war against Treeshade. Caelrath volunteers to fight, forcing the rest of the party to aid him in fear of splitting the party. Erikr, wanting to help, talks with the High Druid and convinces him to delay the fight for five days while he and Caelrath return to Unity to search for his Uncle Abidan for help. Before they leave, the prisoners are turned over to the druids while Althor joins the party so that he can be watched to ensure he doesn't continue in his thieving ways, or at least that is the excuse we are using. Skurn stays behind and with the help of a very powerful spell from the High Druid is able to inform his clergy of what is happening in the forest and ask for aid. When Erikr and Caelrath reach Unity they go to Aremar to inform him of the situation as well and in hopes of finding Abidan. Aremar, despite being held to certain rules for wizards, is convinced to help them and transports them to the Temple of Rhugarth where Abidan is arguing with Skurn's clergymen. Investigating, the party learns that Abidan is enraged because the dwarves are choosing to pray instead of raise arms due to their belief that this is great test for their purifier clergyman. Failing to convince the dwarves, the party, with Abidan and Aremar, magically return to the forest, thus ending the session.

So what did we learn in this session?

1. Elves and dwarven ale never mix well.
2. Sometimes a bloody arm is very evil.
3. Don't enter a room full of magical items without being prepared to be sucked into another dimension by one of the said items.
4. Wizards don't like the word "bewitch".
5. Using a d20 that you know rolls low for a saving throw vs. spell isn't very smart.
6. You can end excessive hunger by getting a haircut.
7. Seeing hawks probably means something.
8.It helps to have a higher level character around to take all the hits from enemy fire.
9. When trying to hide, go for the shady spots instead of the one well-lit location
10. If no one in the party has rope, the NPC with you will be happy to supply it.
11. Trees are the ears of a High Druid.
12. Spells involving druids will dehydrate you and will probably give you a bloody nose so bring a Gatorade or something to quench that thirst.
13. When a wizard offers to transport you somewhere and asks you to take his hand, don't. Only take his hand if he says, "No, seriously this time."