Blowing Hot Air

This session saw an encounter with Gakar, the departure of Resdin and Luthor, an appearance by the Keels, and the addition of Yor, Damien, and Matje to the group.

Gakar left along the road south of Ferdham late at night.  He came to a ruined campsite, where he investigated.  Finding a large hole in the earth and nothing worth taking, he decided to move on quickly, and headed further down the road.  He heard screams west off the road, so he decided to investigate.  Thus, he came upon the party in the aftermath of its fight with the scorpion.  After an exchange of words with Terenar, who fired a warning shot at him, he left the party to their own devices.

During the night, Luthor left the camp, dissatisfied with its progress and eager to hunt down the scorpion.  When day came, Resdin had also gone, having been summoned back to his college of wizardry.  Though the party did not even know it at the time, this double loss stripped them of 4/5 of their magic items.  The party was still trying to decide how to cope with these events when Damien, a sun elf who fancied himself an expert at traps, entered.  Following Damien's cat, and trying to eat it, was a large, savage, and inarticulate man the group would come to know as Yor.

After some initial confusion, the Keels stepped in, bearing news from the capital, Furemil, and gold with which they hoped to pay the party.  They were headed to the Lair of Shadows, just as the party was.  Damien objected to the idea of being paid, preferring to instead claim a share of whatever loot lay in the lair.  While this discussion was still going on, Matje, a wild elf swordsman, wandered into the camp.  Dissatisfied with terms, Damien made to leave.

At this point, some people became aware of a strange rippling in the air that rapidly approached the camp.  Drawing weapons, they attempted to strike at it, but found that many of their blows were ineffective.  Clerics healed frantically as the air elemental (for it was such) tore repeatedly at the group's combatants.  As they raced to surround the thing, it expanded, changing shape and form to become a whirlwind.

Sucking up Aerlene, Yor, and Graylyne, the air elemental rose above the earth, threatening to carry the three off.  A last-ditch effort by Metje and Terenar involving the use of rope resulted in the barbarian and the paladin being pulled free.  They fell to the earth, landing in shrubs that cushioned their impacts, and were promptly healed by waiting clerics.  Graylyne fell soon after, from a greater height, but by that time the group had assembled a mass of cushions for him to land on.  Tumbling with the impact, he too managed to survive.

The elemental appeared to be flying off, but some of the group could not resist taking parting shots, and this angered the thing further.  It swept down, attacking Damien, who had been plying his bow, and threatened to inflict serious damage upon the party, which was now nearly out of healing.  Some quick thinking (and action) by Terenar resulted in an illusion of a massive earth elemental, which challenged the air elemental to fight.  Abandoning its rampage through the party, the air elemental tore into the earth, attempting to slam the other elemental repeatedly.  The group made a hasty retreat, taking their things with them, and headed away from the campsite for the rest of the day.  The Keels had left earlier, heading out immediately as soon as Graylyne was healed enough to walk.  No sign of them was seen for the rest of the day.

After camping for one night, and preparing much-needed spells, a healed but somber party broke the next morning and forged onward.  Yor found a branch in the forest he adapted for use as a club, and Terenar chastised him for eating their food without explaining himself.  Through nonverbal cues, he indicated that he would fight alongside the group, and the elf grudgingly allowed him to join Matje in the rear guard.

Crossing a forest, the group entered a swamp, and in the swamp, they found a menacing, reptilian head made of stone that rose up from the murky waters.  Its mouth was open, and amidst rows of sharp teeth it contained stairs leading downward.

People who stayed gained 275 exp; those who left early with little or no warning gained 225 exp, and those who were not consistently present gained 150 exp.