GAME HISTORY

Background before Aukan joined.

"Thank you for sharing your story with me" Aukan says. "We goliaths do not tend to write our history down, but pass it down by spoken word - if you will permit me, I'd like to repeat your story back to you - just to make sure I understood it correctly."

"You met in an inn in the small port town of Zavorohka, a mere month or so ago. The inn was blasted by the fiery destruction of the mayor's house across the street. Curious at what might have caused this destruction, you investigated the ruined building and discovered Paitr here, the mayor's only son hiding in the basement and the mayor's neatly severed head on a pole at the dock with a ring stuffed in the mouth. All that Paitr could tell you was that an 'evil man' caused this."

"Before the evening ended, there were other screams of horror from citizens of Zavorohka, and you met in a grove in the town a man later identifed as 'the Red Reaper', otherwise known as Lord Shurrapak - the powerful skull masked assassin of the former dead god-king of Unther (Gilgeam) ..... a horrifying man of such incredible powers that he easily defeated you, but instead of killing you, merely humiliated you."

"After this evil man had gone, Ivan the innkeeper asked you to take Paitr to his only remaining relatives, an Aunt and Uncle who own a glassmaking business, in the nearby city of Luthcheq."

"I have heard of this Luthcheq - it is the force behind the deaths of Golgar's brothers and kin. It is ruled by the Karanok family ... an insane family that hate magic of all kind and have banned it in their city." Aukan glances at Bolgar. "Is it not also this city that were behind the assassination attempt of King Hercubes's son that you foiled Bolgar? I imagine it was a difficult decision to take Paitr to his relatives there."

"So, after several days of journeying by road and boat to Luthcheq, during which you got the feeling feel that an incredible unseen force was following you, finally manifesting itself in a unnatural storm of great proportions, you arrived at Luthcheq, where you were prevented entry by the city guard. A woman named Sae, who later turned out to be a powerful and magical form of undead, as well as an estranged member of the Karanok family, led you into the city via the sewer system, and you managed to return Paitr to his relatives."

"During the return journey, Malark inadvertently released some powerful being only known as 'the Ice Queen' who was imprisoned somehow in the magic hating city. You escaped her, but Lutcheq was overrun by ice giants and a deep freeze-blizzard. While exploring the basement of the palace you found Maja as she was being sold by the pirate who had enslaved her to the Karanok family who wanted her to be burned at the stake for being a witch. Although you didn't know who she was, you didn't think long and decided to bail her out. Your brave attempt was only partially successful. You freed Maja but only for the price of having one of your companions, Himo the monk, captured and to be burned at the stake by the Karanok family."

"Planning to rescue Himo, you met with an underground organization of magic users who assisted you in your cause by gating in a Solar named Inbenre Mdjai, who kept the palace gates in disarray while you snuck into the palace on your mission. While the rest of the you were trying to rescue Himo from the Karanok Palace, Himo had managed to negotiate with Bok, a Fire Giant enslaved in the palance, to help him and Curuthin (OOC:- a princely wizard also captured from Mordulkin or Hing Hercubes' son?) to escape, in exchange for returning Bok to his home in the Smoking Mountains.

"At some point, you discovered that actually, Shurappak was hunting Paitr rather than his father. You rushed back to protect Paitr again, but find him already in the clutches of Shurappak. A daring and creative rescue was mounted, and Paitr was wisked out from Shurappak's clutches. In exchange for helping them rescue Himo, the Solar requested that you deliver Paitr safely to the hands of Prince Inyotef of Mulhorand, who is currently in Unther commanding the armies that invaded Unther after the death of Gilgeam."

"You teleported to a town in Unther called Firetrees, along with your new Fire Giant friend, who insisted on returning to his home in the Smoking Mountains outside of Firetrees in exchange for helping you escape the Karanoks. Amar-Sin is nearly killed when he ran across some cultists (OOC: type of cult?) meeting in the woods near to Firetrees. You befriended the Mulhorandi governor of Firetrees who told you the only convenient way to reach Inyotef is by a river boat trip to the Plain of Life, where his armies are stationed. After securing passage on the riverboat, the Captain turned out to be a seawolf who wanted a taste of Maja. A destructive battle broke out on the boat, the boat sank, many died, you escaped on direbats and came to this place, and then I found you."

***

Day One

Malark received a sending, telling him that his niece, Precia, was in great danger. The party argued over the best way to approach this, Bolgar deciding that it was suddenly rather important for him to return to King Hercubes Jedea and give him the news about his son Curuthin (who Bolgar was supposed to be rescuing and had been taken by Red Wizards at the riverboat disaster. Whilst arguing, Tess, assumed drowned, staggers out of the water and rejoins the group. The group eventually decide to leave Paitr in the hands of the summoned Solar Inbenre Mdjai whilst they visit the king. It turned out that the king already knew about Curuthin's fate, who was being ransomed by the Red Wizards for an arifact in the shape of a chess-piece. Malark remembered that Paitr had the chess-piece, and without a word, teleported out to go fetch it. His sudden departure was seen as very alarming, and with trepidation, the group (bar Bolgar) teleported again, with the aid of a certain court mage named Halathor, back to the riverbank, where Malark was, somewhat unsuccessfully, attempting to persuade the Solar/Paitr to give up the chess-piece. After some heated discussions, everyone, including Paitr and the Solar teleport back to the king's presence, where Paitr is persuaded to hand over the chess-piece. The king provides several of the party members with magical items to help in their quest to rescue Precia.

The group then teleport back to the river bank again - bar Bolgar, Aukan taking on his oath to the Solar. Inbenre Mdjai creates another rope-trick spell to allow Paitr to hide, and the rest of the group teleport to the bank of the Methmere lake, for divination had told the group that Paitr was being held on Screeching Island. The land looks ill, with the life sucked out of it, and an unnatural fog surrounds the island, hiding it from view. The group use the foldable boat that they had pulled from the wreckage of the riverboat, and row across the waters. A halfling on a raft is discovered close to the edge of the fog, but he turns out to be treacherous, and flies away when he thinks he was about to be caught. Rowing through the fog, the group came within sight of the land, before some sort of watery undead creature appeared and started to drown everyone.