Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

Session 40, “Spectral Pig Splitter”

Play began in the Rustlers’ camp, where the adventurers planned their next move, distributed healing items, and worked on miscellaneous projects such as making a cat saddle, converting mail to xvart size, and the like.

Descending into the caves, the group set out for Black Frost Road by travelling for approximately 6 miles in a wide, arched tunnel. Then, they found a yellow chalk blaze on the floor near the wall.

Umber Stroon cast detect magic and discovered a glittering, blue line on the tunnel floor about 60’ away which stretched from wall to wall. The group approached the line and stopped about 15’ away. Ned threw a piece of candy across the line. After a brief pause, deep bell tones rolled through the tunnel.

After a few minutes, an invisible foe, noticed only because Stroon’s detect spell was in effect and allowed him to see a floating, magical axe, approached the party. After additional detect spells and Xiach-Li’s faerie fire, the group slew 5 dwarflike humanoids. One of them was able to flee the scene.

The dark dwarves, so-named for their dull, grey skin and pale, stringy beards, carried with them a few coins make from a matte, steely metal, as well as round medallions worn on chains around their necks. The medallions were comprised of the same metal as the coins, and were engraved with a geometric pattern of lines and dots which never comfortably let the eye rest in any one place.

Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

Session 39, “Through the Eyes of the Eagle”


An 8’ tall moss-colored humanoid with long, spindly limbs and a bulging stomach delivered a letter written on flesh-colored vellum to Erfu.

“To The ‘Ned Rustlers’:

Thank you so much for returning to the abbey, We really do appreciate it. Rest assured, your Realm soldier friends died most horribly, yet still shamble about while serving in Our army. Feel free to approach by the most direct route, as Our forces will surely annihilate your pitiful little band.

Affectionately yours,

Bloody Thabjis


4th Avernus Medium Infantry

PS Great Angalakon the Black’s wyrmish progeny look forward to making your acquiantaince.”

The Rustlers, along with Lord Arvale and his two men-at-arms, Thom and Bjob, entered the caverns. There, they found many hijinks.

They burned away an oil slick, and slew the fungi, both brown and violet. Liss contracted rot. Arvale and his men escorted her back to the surface. The group discovered significant loot in the mushroom patch: 50 PP, 900 GP, a green jade teardrop pendant (110 GP), white jade star pendant (100 GP), hematite “crystal” (35 GP).

In the course of their exploration of the cavern, the group discovered both right arms of the colossal xvart statue.

When Xiach-Li attached the fourth arm, the statue sprung to life. During a furious battle, Ned, Xiach-Li, Umber Stroon, and Erfu were transformed into xvarts! The glass dais upon which the statue stood contained additional loot: 100 PP, 1000 GP, 4 blue star sapphires (500 GP each), a blue crystal wand, and a plain steel mace.

The xvart characters saw four portals in the room:

  • South: a jungle landscape
  • North: wild winds rip across an endless sky, and a glittering platinum palace hangs in the distance
  • West: a flat, black plane which flickers with vibrant blue-white energy
  • East: orange-red and emanates heat

Total XP: 5645 (treasure) + 1340 (foes) = 6985

998 XP per player character

Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

Session 38, “We’re All Doomed, Anyway”

Play began in the caverns underneath the sinkole in front of a stout, wooden door. The door was locked with a panel made of purple crystal. There was a keyhole in the panel. Ned tried the blue key in the lock. The key turned, but the door didn’t open.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room abruptly dropped to just above freezing. Halfron heard a voice, both near and remote, creak into his ear: “Kill the paladin, kill the paladin, kill the paladin . . .” He resisted a magical compulsion to slay the god Haldar’s champion of right and good. LaCrosse heard the voice, too, and after a mighty struggle resisted the voice’s urgings.

The adventurers looked for the source of the voice, and saw a ghostly xvart hidden in a crevice in the cavern wall. It hovered some 6” above the ground and seemed to glide along the stone floor. Upon being discovered, the apparition hastily floated away into the darkness to the south.

The group continued to explore the complex, and discovered a 40’ wide chamber to the south. The chamber’s floor gently sloped downward to the southeast. A wide tunnel continued out of the room. Xiach-Li saw an arrow blazened in yellow chalk on the floor. The arrow pointed to the southeast. Written in Realmish on the floor were the words, “BLACKFROST ROAD”.

LaCrosse recalled from Rangers Anonymous meetings that the Blackfrost Road is part of a network of subterranean highways which connect the Four Provinces as well and other, stanger places.

Exploring additional caverns, the Rustlers found a chamber containing smashed, xvart-sized furniture covered in 2” tall purple mushrooms. On the eastern wall, there was a wooden door with a blue, crystal lock. Halfron fit Ned’s key fit in the lock, and cautiously turned it. “Stickythumb” opened the door, and a miasmal wave of rot, decay, and death rolled over the group. Ned immediately doubled over and profusely vomited maple candy.

The room contained 10 xvart zombies (“vxombies”). Liss brandished her silver badger holy symbol and put the fear of her subterranean deity into 4 of them. The turned xvombies shambled to a farther chamber from which a blue glow emanated.

During the battle, two xvombies knocked LaCrosse from her feet. Loosed from her hand, Dawnbreaker skittered across the floor. Erfu picked it up, and celestial white light blazed forth from the weapon, which suddenly sang like the bells of Mount Sky!

Later, when Xiach-Li battled the ghost, Erfu threw Dawnbreaker to him. Miraculously, the druid caught the weapon and pierced the ghost with it! The ghost shrieked like whistling wind and retreated to the south. Everyone cheered.

Upon slaying the turned xvombies, the Rustlers found a glowing blue stone arm, which faded after Xiach-Li picked it up. The group now had two blue stone arms, both left. The adventurers also found a purple crystal key.

The group returned to the door with the purple crystal lock. Ned fit the purple key in the lock, and the door opened. The chamber beyond, roughly worked and 30’ in diameter, contained an 8’ tall xvart statue on a clear, crystal dais. It was once four-armed, but the arms were missing. Xiach-Li attached the two left arms to the statue, and they magically joined.

He cast detect magic, and spied the outline of 4 magical archways, equally spaced around the perimeter of the chamber. Seeing an opportunity to regroup, the Rustlers returned to the surface world to rest.

Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

It’s Never a Magic Mace

Session 37

Play began with the group exploring the stairway down. Halfron disarmed a tripwire, and the group discovered that the stairway led to a dead end. Returning to the xvart cavern, the group descended into large room via a rope ladder.

There, they discovered a robed old man, bound and gagged. He claimed to have been captured on the surface world by the blue-skinned beings and dragged into the Underdark for who-knows-what. LaCrosse was skeptical about the man’s story, and the situation quickly escalated into conflict.

During the battle, the man dropped his disguise, and revealed himself to be a horned and hooved monster! After a comical fight, the party emerged victorious, and gathered several significant items from the body, including a black mithril shortsword.

XP earned: 100 per character.

Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

Two-Shot Horror

Session 36

The group settled the details of their camp. Liss and Xiach-Li went scouting for interesting stones, and Liss fell into a sinkhole! In the sinkhole, she discovered a 2’ tall tunnel leading into the darkness.

Umber Stroon, Xiach-Li, LaCrosse daRud, and Halfron (accompanied by Pinkus) mounted an expedition into the tunnel. It was rough going, as the tunnel was cramped and difficult to navigate. After discovering a tall cavern containing a rope, pulley, and bucket, several PCs fell into the pool at the bottom while trying to traverse the cavern to reach another tunnel opposite the original one.

Once in the tunnel, the group heard diminutive tittering in the distance, encountered a pit trap, and had poisoned blowgun darts fired at them by bright blue beings with big, orange eyes: xvarts (so named for the sound they bark out upon death).

The PCs forged ahead and encountered the xvarts’ lair. Xiach-Li took a few magic missiles from their shaman, Umber Stroon silenced him with divine magic, and the tide of battle of was turned when LaCrosse daRud unleashed Dawnbreaker on the little guys, blinding them. Xiach-Li finished them off with arrows.

Meanwhile, back in camp, 4 giant bats strafed camp. Each bat carried a xvart rider. These riders lobbed flaming pumpkins filled with Westphasia Fire at the wagons! Liss, Erfu, and the soldiers put out the fire with dirt, and sand, but not before the wagons were superficially damaged.

Experience earned by Umber Stroon, Xiach-Li, LaCrosse DaRoad, and Halfron: 210.

Experience earned by Liss, Erfu, and Ned: 50.

Treasures found: Miscellaneous amethysts (110 GP), 1 potion in a squat leather bottle, 1 potion in a small calabash, 2 bottles of fancy Elven hooch (100 GP each), and a 8” cask of sticky, green blowgun poison.

Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

Plus Pinkus

Session 35

Play began in Sir Spode’s drawing room in Castle Ulspar, furnished with overstuffed leather chairs, trophy heads on the walls (including a medusa replica), and bay windows looking out on the Field of Crimson Victory.

Many events occurred in this session:

  • Umber Stroon hired Tieran Grey, erudite sage and alchemist.
  • In the Crimson Victory, a tavern near the field of the same name, Halfron met Pinkus, a halfling ne’er-do-well.
  • Erfu attended the shrine of Haldar in Castle Ulspar, where the ranking warrior-priest gave him a stirring pep talk. Erfu could not smash the gold “zombie coin”, so he abandoned it on the side of the road. Pinkus later picked it up.
  • While gathering river pebbles, Liss encountered a strange aquatic humanoid who was looking for girls and called himself “Timmy”.
  • Xyach-Li wrestled several men-at-arms on the training field, and won the support of the young Lord Arvale and his men.
  • Ned and LaCrosse loaded up on candy from a store on the Floating Bridge.
  • The party set out toward the Ruined Abbey and encountered the Black Line Bandits (so named for the vertical black line on the bridge of their noses), who inhabited in a shoddily rebuilt guard tower. The bandits gave the group no trouble.
  • The group and their retinue gathered on the Field of Crimson Victory.
  • Upon reaching the village of Orm, a group of Goldcloaks (militant zealots who follow the Lord of Light) aggressively asked the group the avoid the village.
  • After travelling north on the Broken Road until sundown, the group set up camp.

The retinue consists of the following:
12 men-at-arms, sponsored by Sir Spode
5 men-at-arms, led by child aristocrat Lord Arvale
Tieran Grey, sage and alchemist, in the employ of Umber Stroon
Dunstan, a bard, along for the ride and adventure
1 armorer, sponsored by Sir Spode
1 bowyer-fletcher, sponsored by Sir Spode
1 leatherworker (and bullwhip expert), sponsored by Sir Spode
1 cook, sponsored by Sir Spode

Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles


Session 34

Arrive in Ulspar and stay at the Laughing Owlbear. Run into Gumpuss.

  • Ned befriends the battering blovine.
  • Get paid by Jeantreaux of Beck
  • Travel to the savage elves to find a smith who can craft dragon scale armor
  • Dragon scale armor and a few other items crafted
Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

The Cat Laughs

Session 33

Liss introduced

  • Xychar introduced
  • Sounds of battle, then silence, from within the dungeon. Doors magically glued shut.
  • Xychar led the group to a rest area within the woods
  • Revenge battle with the black dragon’s son
  • Watcher of the World Axis appears in pool
  • Chu-Mi reincarnated as “wolfwere” cat
  • Summon centaur, who provides battering blovine
  • Retrieve cart full of heads
  • Next session takes place in town of Ulspar, where it all began.
Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

Kill the Dragon

Session 32

Epic battle with a black dragon ended in victory for the group, but defeat for Rovanjal and Chu-Mi. Chu is now doing Blackwater contract work in Hell. He is dead, but could still return to the Realm should he find a suitable Gate.

The party intends to return to Ulspar to claim the reward on the 100 Greenskin heads they have accumulated. However, the dead dragon’s 2 juvenile children are looking for their mother …

Session Summaries Westphasia Chronicles

Damage is Damage

Session 31

The group checked out the stairs to the east and west of the spectator chamber when they heard a gentle rapping on the chamber door. Ibzek, a kobold, reported that he was unhappy with how the Greenskins had subdued his lord and master, the black dragon. Ibzek opened the portcullis and the group ascended the stairs, where they found a pitched battle between Realm and the Greenskins.

After Rovanjal’s near death, the party and the Realm won the day. Umber Stroon was given a Wave of Light scroll, and the rest of the group were kitted out with plate mail and shield to prepare for the struggle ahead, as they are going to go back into the Corrupted Temple of Eyes to retrieve the Darklighter. The Realm XO gave the group a platoon of 20 soldiers to assist in the effort.