A Fistful of Brains

 

Dungeon's and Dragon's campaign log for in-person game since 2017

Location: East of the city if Enstad - formerly[?] called Darkreach.

Date:  22nd of Ready'reat month, Autumn [reference from our calendar it is November]

Year: 582

 

Current Status:

The Redwater Fellowship successfully infiltrated the Voidspire, Robin's hexagonal flying fortress, despite the life-draining Aura of the Black Sun which permanently sapped their vitality

. After battling skeletal guards on an Ascension Gondola, the party navigated the fortress's grim interior decks and discovered a private sanctuary filled with nostalgic mementos of their former friendship with Robin, including letters and an old pistol holster

. This emotional journey culminated in the Throne Sanctum, where Doc Holliday offered the Dreadking a Fellowship ring [and crucially a magical ring of Mind Shielding], forcing a final choice between darkness and his former allies

. Choosing his friends over his patron Orcus, the Prince of Undead, Robin performed a desperate act of sacrifice by ripping the Amulet of Orcus from his own chest as well as his half of his beating heart, leaving him mortally wounded. As the fortress began to crash, the party fought off Robin's lieutenant, Darling a Rakshasa/undead clownlike demon, and swooping Bone Drakes. . Doc reached into a dark sphere beneath the throne, suffering significant force damage to call upon the Raven Queen, who intervened with a miraculous manifestation that dusted their enemies and safely guided the Fellowship to the ground as the Voidspire plummeted.

In the triumphant aftermath, the avatars of the gods appeared to bless the party for their victory. Doc

Holliday was granted a +2 stat boost, Nenwin received +4 points to distribute among his abilities, and Graxxuzzaz was awarded a +4 increase to his Charisma and finally, Aeldred gained a +1 stat boost and the Sunburst of Pelor ability, allowing him to destroy undead under 50 HP in a wide radius once per day

Finishing a major chapter in the campaign, the heroes each gained a level and an inspiration point, the Fellowship now are near the river what appears to be a few days ride East of the former city of Enstad ready for their next journey toward the city of Fax, carrying with them the mysterious Hat of a Fool recovered from Darling's remains, which Graxxuzazz puts on!

Overall plan:

The plan was to travel overland to the city of Fax, on the Wildcoast still under Blackrune's control [the Fellowship's longtime enemy, the Blackrunes were a powerful but waning force - group of dwarven slavers in the area] where there were a number of quests and tasks of interest to the Fellowship. Recently, the party had decided to try and "rescue" Robin - now the Dreadking - and bring him back to the way of good. The party thus were heading directly into the undead heart of Darkreach where they assumed Robin/Dreadking resided in the former elvish city of Enstad.

 

The RedWater Fellowship [Player Characters]

·                   Doctor Sigmund Holliday - Male 1/2 orc | Gunslinger/Paladin of the goddess: The Raven Queen [former close friend of Robin [played by Connor]

·                   Lieutenant Spears Male 1/2 elf | Phantom Rogue/Echo Knight - an operative assigned by Lady Cowl's secretive organization - under Overlord Romack - to assist [played by Connor]

·                   Nenwin Albion - Male Aasimar | Paladin of the god: Heironeous [played by Jake]

·                   Graxxuzzaz - Male Lizard-folk | Sorcerer/Warlock of the Great Old One - the King in Yellow [played by Braydin]

·                   Aeldred -  Male Red Dragon-born | Barbarian/Paladin/Ranger of the god: Pelor [played by Campbell]

·                   Thogra - Male 1/2 Orc | Rogue/Cleric of the Egyptian god: Set. | [played by the DM: Dave]

Dungeon Master: Dave

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Other Non-player characters of note:

·                   Robin - formerly the undead ruler of Darkreach and a servant to Orcus, now once again: Male aarakocra | Ranger

·                   Tibaltuous Male 1/2 elf | Bard/Paladin [Bounty hunter] - currently under cover and scouting along the Wild Coast - South near the Pomarj. [DM: more details: Blogpost: https://sleet-dnd2.blogspot.com/2025/10/interlude-tibaltuous-espionage-travels.html] [played by Campbell]

·                   Gothi | Female foreclaimer | Ranger | At town of DragonKeep. Former member of the Fellowship [played by Jake].

·                   Lars | Male elf [VAMPIRE] | wizard | At town of DragonKeep [looks like a pale, very young 15 year old]

·                   Skrit | Male kobold | Priest of Istus. Former member of the Fellowship. Acting Mayor of the town of DragonKeep [until elections take place - next month]

·                   Hester | Male Tabaxi | Cleric of Celestian | At town of DragonKeep. Former member of the Fellowship.

Current quests or options for the party to look into:

 

Flying tower: Being upgraded at town of DragonKeep - good progress being made

 

City of FAX

·                   Request from Greyskulls [a mercenary company] commander and mate- save son in Fax?

·                   A Doctor in Fax - potential contact and ally against Blackrunes?

·                   Robin's undead army in Darkreach - stop, leave, or..? Party needs to decide

·                   Portal to Sea of Dust (Blackrune expedition) look into or not?

 

Personal quests:

·                   Aeldred - oath to find and save family of dwarf smith who repaired Aeldred's heirloom sword [also Doc and Nenwin have agreed to assist]

·                   Doc Holliday - Elves are now East across sea in Bright desert (Doc personal potential quest)? The "Great Deliverance" a spell cast to take all the Elves to a secret location in the desert.

·                   Graxxuzzaz's circus (he was circus master and has heard rumours they are near Fax now - potential personal quest)?

·                   Tibaltuous' collect bounty for drow [he has the head of the drow] - Contact is in city of Fax

·                   Map to secret Blackrune base/island off Wildcoast - Fax area (Kantif - a rogue, former ally from the Redwater Fellowship has this)  

 _____________

Introduction: The Road from Darkreach

On the 22nd of Ready'reat, 582 CY, the Redwater Fellowship departed the outskirts of the former elvish capital of Enstad—now the grim, shadowed heart of the undead realm known as Darkreach. The landscape was a portrait of desolation: leafless trees stood like skeletal sentinels against a sky that offered a cold, sun-drenched irony to the ruins below. An eerie silence gripped the wasteland, broken

only by the distant moans of thousands of mindless undead roaming the gray plains.

The Fellowship traveled light. While Doctor Sigmund Holliday remained behind in the ruins of Enstad to rally survivors and stand watch with the mortally wounded Robin, the primary contingent pushed eastward. This party, comprised of Nenwin Albion, the Lizard-folk sorcerer Graxxuzzaz, the Red Dragonborn paladin Aeldred, and their long-suffering associate Thogra, moved with a singular purpose: the city of Fax. Their mission was to dismantle the Blackrunes, a waning but still lethal faction of dwarven slavers currently occupying the Wildcoast.

The Standoff: Darling’s Foolish Relic

Internal strife nearly halted the journey before the city walls were even in sight. Graxxuzzaz, ever the eccentric, insisted on donning the "Hat of a Fool," a garish and likely possessed artifact stripped from the remains of the Rakshasa demon, Darling. Aeldred, sensing the lingering stench of Orcus upon the
relic, confronted the Lizard-folk. The Red Dragonborn’s golden eyes flashed with a divine warning as he moved to seize the item, fearing the sorcerer might fall under the sway of the Prince of the Undead.

Graxxuzzaz was not easily deterred. Attempting to maintain his "aesthetic," he cast Friends to magically bolster his persuasive charm and utilized a 30-foot teleportation to dance away from the paladin’s reach. However, Aeldred’s sheer physical dominance eventually quelled the sorcerer’s acrobatics.

The Hat Grapple

Character	Check Type	Roll Total
Aeldred	Athletics (Grapple)	25
Graxxuzzaz	Acrobatics (Resistance)	24

The confrontation ended with the artifact being unceremoniously stuffed into the "Evil Bag." Of Holding This green leather vessel was a nightmare in itself; it reeked of corruption, contained a miscellaneous collection of zombie parts, evil tomes, and a possessed trident.

The Magical Pickle Fiasco

While camping along the riverbanks, the party decided to partake in their remaining "magic pickles”. [DM: blogpost for more information] a decision that yielded chaotic, near-fatal results. The party had encountered the salesman of dubious repute by the name, Thurr Tyyne [pronounced ‘thirteen’]. Thurr Tyyne’s Green Flaming Red Pickles had to be cooked precisely or would have no effect or death by poison. If they were cooked correctly, then strange and wondrous[?] effects would befall the eater. As the Fellowship cooked the homebrew delicacies over the campfire, the weave of magic buckled and snapped in unpredictable ways [rolling a D10,000]:

1. Graxxuzzaz: Rolled 8805; despite a pleasant flavor, the pickle offered no discernable effect, much to the lizardfolk’s disappointment.
2. Aeldred: Rolled 9854; the Red Dragonborn’s eyes flared into brilliant, molten gold, emitting a "Midas Beam." The ray struck Thogra, instantly transmuting the half-orc’s gear into liquid, searing gold.
3. Nenwin: Rolled 9460; his right hand middle fingernail warped into a 4-cubic-foot pocket dimension, which allowed anything up to 1 cubic foot to be taken into storage space! The Assimar immediately began to devise ways to use this space.

The situation turned dire as Thogra, screaming in agony, was forced to leap into the icy river to cool the

molten metal fusing to his flesh. While Thogra survived the transition, he was heavily scarred and his magical equipment was destroyed. To preserve the Fellowship’s moral standing and prevent lasting trauma, Aeldred requested Graxxuzazz cast the spell Modify Memory (DC 22) while the half-orc was still unconscious and recovering from the shock, erasing the memory of the "Midas Beam" and replacing it with a vague narrative of a magical ambush or smoking drugs and falling in the river. Thogra was not impressed, and the party not sure if he even believed the story. His magical armour of Set, boots, cloak all destroyed and now solid gold most of it at the bottom of the icy river.

Lt. Spears and the Infiltration of Fax

As the main party navigated the river, the narrative shifted to Lieutenant Spears, the Phantom Rogue and Echo Knight. Spears reached the peninsula of Fax first, reporting a city "sweating through its resources." The air was thick with the chemical bite of alchemist fire and the heavy, cloying scent of burning pitch. The city’s 30-foot stone walls, reinforced with dwarven iron banding, stood defiant against an unbroken tide of thousands of undead pressing against the North Gate.

Details on Fax:

The city of Fax is a heavily fortified settlement situated on a defensible peninsula jutting into Woolly Bay on the Wild Coast

It is a strategically vital location currently under the control of the Blackrunes, a group of dwarven slavers

City Geography and Defenses

• Defensive Position: Fax is surrounded by water on three sides, with a narrow land approach from
  
  
  the north
• 1. Fortifications: These are/were strongpoints -all overrun now except the main walls - the city is protected by 30-foot-high walls made of dressed stone in the dwarven tradition, reinforced with iron banding at the gate towers
• 2. The Canal: A partially completed canal was intended to run from the north inlet to the south to create a full moat, though it remains unfinished
• 4. The High Tower: A 100-foot-high tower stands on the battlements, bristling with ballistae and signal fires
• 5. Haunted island?
• State of the City: The city is war-ravaged and smells of burning pitch, black smoke, and the chemical bite of alchemist's fire
• The civilian population is starving due to a prolonged siege by thousands of undead

Key Locations within Fax

• City Hall: A brick building with a courtyard that served as the administrative center and residence for Warden Durk Stonefist
• The Docks: A bustling but dangerous area where Commander Floodlick established his base in a large warehouse

***********

Spears utilized grim infiltration tactics, coating himself in zombie gore to mask his living scent before using Shadow Step to teleport 90 feet past the siege lines and directly onto the battlements. He established a base of operations for the Fellowship within a partially sunken ship at the docks, a clandestine vantage point from which to observe one of the two Blackrune leadership Headquarters. Lt. Spears then was able to support the rest of the party to infiltrate the besieged city, using his stealth and shadowy skills to bypass the dozing and tired Blackrune mercenary guard along the North wall.

Espionage: The "Fistful of Dollars" Ploy

The Fellowship quickly identified a fracture in the enemy command. Fax was divided between two rivals: Warden Durk Stonefist, a strategist operating out of City Hall, and Commander Floodlick, a "soul-sucking psycho" sorcerer based at the warehouse docks. Spears noted a chilling detail atop Floodlick’s warehouse: a cold, circular "Abyssal Portal," 20 feet wide and radiating a supernatural chill.

Inspired by the classic Yojimbo-style gambit, the party initiated a "Fistful of Dollars" ploy to incite a

civil war. They kidnapped a Blackrune guard named Borne and subjected him to a rigorous interrogation. Borne revealed that Floodlick was an insane murderous force who utilized steam-powered

technology. After extracting the necessary intelligence, the Fellowship used Modify Memory to implant a false, traumatic memory in Borne’s mind: that he had been captured and brutally tortured by Warden Stonefist’s personal elite guards. They then released the guard, effectively lighting the fuse on the Blackrune internal rivalry.

The Climax: The Fall of City Hall

The espionage bore immediate, bloody fruit. Believing the Warden had moved against him, Commander Floodlick launched a total assault on City Hall. The attack was heralded by "Steam Tanks"—armored, steam-powered wagons that belched thick plumes of gray smoke and launched concentrated alchemist fire from onboard mortars.

The Fellowship had ring-side seats, preparing possibly to battle the two OR the victor. Aeldred and Graxxuzazz on the back of Nenwin’s flying horse, while Nenwin flew both flying figures camouflaged form view by the clouds of smoke rising from the burning inferno of the former Warden’s HQ.

The battle reached a fever pitch as Warden Stonefist charged the tanks, the Warden’s elite guard in his wake and ready to battle as well. The Warden’s massive stone-fist gauntlets shattering metal plating with every blow. However, the Warden was no match for Floodlick’s arcane insanity. The Commander popped out of the 2nd tank hatch to cackle, unleashing a "multi-blast fireball" that rained four simultaneous explosions upon the Warden’s defenders. In a final show of power, Floodlick cast Reverse Gravity, hurlng Stonefist 200 feet into the air.

As the Warden plummeted back into the rubble, broken and defeated, Floodlick delivered the final blow.

A black beam of energy (Finger of Death) erupted from the Commander’s finger, snuffing out Stonefist's life as he knelt trying to rise to his feet amidst the burning remains of his headquarters.

Conclusion: The Smoking Ruins

As the dust and alchemist fire settle over Fax, the city’s political structure lies in ash. City Hall is a blackened husk smoke pouring up into the night, explosions and blasts of gunpowder exploding as an armoury erupts in flames.

The Warden is dead, and the Blackrune forces are fractured by the Fellowship’s orchestrated purge. From their rooftop and flying vantage points, the party watched as the mysterious Lady Tessa

Commander Floodlick

Blackthorn—a high-level wizard and Blackrune ally—fled the chaos with her entourage, spiriting away two large, heavy trunks just as the tanks breached the courtyard.

While the Warden has fallen, the "psycho" Commander Floodlick remains, now in total, uncontested control of the still besieged city of Fax. The Redwater Fellowship stands ready in the shadows, their eyes fixed on the cold Abyssal Portal at the docks, preparing for the final phase of the liberation of Fax.