Iron Realm Log Three
Year of Darkness 1123
3rd day of the Wolf
The party head east. Kysan'tel's crow scouts ahead, sweeping over the Volcan Hills and scouring the alien landscape. It sees movement at twilight, a large hulking shape that appears to be trying to hide.
Isirion is able to turn into bat form at night and she flies over to take a closer look. The scene is disturbing. The creature is ten feet tall and instead of arms has four elongated tentacles that swirl about it chaotically. She tries ESP into its mind and blacks out momentarily because of the terrifying evil of the creature's mind - a real cesspit full of malice and hate.
When she awakes it is in humanoid form. The creature is over her, the tentacles bind her and the creature's weight pins her to the rock. But Isirion does not panic; at the opportune moment she turns into a bat and flies back to tell the party what she saw.
Kysan'tel sends her crow familiar to investigate further. On closer inspection it becomes clear that the creature is chained by heavy links and can only move in a radius of twenty yards. Isirion tries to get closer and comes upon a dirty unkempt man who introduces himself as Balvor Smit - Demon Hunter. The man is larger than life and more than a little eccentric. He joins the party and manages to sell Valorn the archer six magical arrows (of disillusionment).
But later - as the party decide to leave the strange man to his dying demon - the arrows disappear and Valorn smells a rat.
"I say we go back and kill them both," Valorn says angrily.
The rest of the party agree. But it is Isirion, who sneaks silently and adeptly at night, who discovers the truth of the strange encounter. She sees a demonic suit (with magical power) and Balvor Smit talking to another similarly dirty individual about fleecing the archer.
A quick plan is hatched. "We'll surprise them," Kysan'tel says and her words come frighteningly true. Such is the speed and prowess of the party, that the two opponents are full of arrows before they can even reach for a defense.
A search of the dead bodies reveals the arrows, a cloak of deception (which Kysan'tel takes), a dagger of throwing (Wyrin takes this), and a powerful ring of valour (which Kysan'tel claims but loans to Plo'Koon).
They leave the bodies when maggots start to accelerate the destruction of the two men. During their quest to find a place to sleep, Plo'Koon manages to luckily activate the ring of valour, his astute mind able to discern the secrets of the item.
Later that night, whilst camped in the lee of a sheltered crag, they spot the light from a lantern.
The entire party are woken and head for the light; to discover a cart with the pungent stench of death, and a ragged, almost dead horse. Mallepus puts an arrow into the beast's side but it ignores the pain.
Isirion even tries a flaming sphere but the horse ignores the pain and the damage. Despite this the vampyre is able to spot a fellow undead. A ghoul appears, a waste disposal agent employed by Horatio Haddon to remove the dead from the Volcan Hills.
"There are many dead here," the ghoul explains.
The party decide to leave the ghoul to its own devices, on passing it Wyrin asks;
"Why are there so many dead here?"
The ghoul shrugs.
"Could have something to do with the necromancer...if the rumours are to be believed."
Next morning the reach the highest point of the Volcan Hills and can see the great expanse of the Forlorn Lake, where rumour has it that nothing can live in the poisonous water. Even from this distance they can see small villages dotted along the edge, their main trade taking travellers to Castle Haddon and the citadel.
Before reaching one of these villages, Isirion casts find familiar and a sleek black cat appears, rubs itself against her legs and awaits its instructions.
They are inundated with requests from half a dozen ferrymen to board their boat, but Mallepus decides to have a drink first. The party are disturbed to discover that many of the villagers have more fingers than are necessary and the local brew is charmingly called rat wine - needless to say none of them indulge in its dubious delights.
Isirion is eyed by a hooded stranger who sits in a quiet corner of the tavern. The beautiful vampyre is used to the ardent gaze of men but she senses this man is different. She lures him with a smile and a promise of more upstairs. Plo'Koon follows closely as the man says he is called Slarren, a bounty hunter with three bodies upstairs.
Valorn, Mallepus, and Kysan'tel head for the stables to search the bounty hunter's horse. A stable boy - no more than ten years old - tries to stop them. He is no match for the archer Valorn, who negligently punches the boy in the chest. The brittle bones shatter sending shards into the boys lungs and heart, killing him instantly. The archer hides the body in a pile of straw as they search the horse and its saddlebags.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Slarren reveals the three bodies that he intends to claim bounty on. Isirion is slightly disturbed when she sees the faces of three of her companions.
"Look again"
Slarren says and she sees only strangers. But the vampyre senses trouble. She lunges at the bounty hunter forcing Plo'Koon into the fight as well.
The bounty hunter Slarren is adept and skilled. He stands in a stance that is alien to the two companions and they struggle to fend off the lightning strikes from Slarren's dagger. When Isirion feels the sharp bite of that dagger in her stomach she begins to realise that this may be her last fight.
But the noise of battle alerts her friends. They rush to help and as they barge into the room there is blood everywhere.
Overwhelmed by numbers, and suffering from many minor wounds, Slarren eventually falls from a devastating and crushing blow from Wyrin's dire mace, a blow so profound it cracks the bounty hunter's head into hundreds of pieces and sprays brains and gore all over the walls.
Isirion bares her fangs, "I wanted to bite him!" she says peevishly as she rubs the large gash in her stomach.
The party pile the loot onto the table...