The Witch's Hut [session 31]

Adventurer's Present
Bilbo, a hobbit
Orsek, a dwarfley barbarian wizard 
Mossmullet, a dwarfley cleric of winter's bite

Travelling through the swamp, we were set upon by a huge, rubbery man-beast.  It was hungry, hungry for our flesh.  We fought it off until Orsek pointed his Finger of Death at it.  The overcast spell killed the fell monster, which then rose up in a mockery of life under Orsek's dark power.

Then, at long last, we came upon the Hut of Baba Yaga.  It stood upon weird twenty-foot tall trees.  We determined that these trees were probably actually the chicken legs of legend.  Wasting no time, our troll thrall lifted us up to the front door, and then grabbed the legs in the hopes that the hut would not wander off while we explored the interior.  And, lo, what an interior!

The main room was totally normal - a table, fireplace, comfy chair, etc.  Nothing to see here, folks.  We took the stairs up to the attic, opened the door, and that's when things got weird.  We kept a map, but I'm not sure how much use it will be - the geography of the place clearly does not follow any physical laws that we are aware of...

In various rooms, we encountered:

• Ratling guards, who we spoke with until relations broke down.  This did not go well for the ratlings.  Only a few escaped with their lives.
• A golden statue of a seemingly young and beautiful Yaga.  When touched, a fire elemental burst forth and attacked us.  We survived, and stole one of the statue's hands as payment for our troubles.
• Dust mites.  These unfriendly little guys make us cough.
• A tool room being guarded by a wind elemental.  Alas, no golden hands as reward for defeating the foul thing.
• Ratling thieves, who were easily duped.

We will continue on, hoping to find the mistress of the house...

Party Experience Gained 
Combat: 966 each
Exploration: 394 each

Swamp Creatures [session 30]

Adventurer's Present
Bilbo, a hobbit
Orsek, a dwarfley barbarian wizard 
Mossmullet, a dwarfley cleric of winter's bite

Setting off from the ruins of Castle Mukos, the party entered the mire of the great swamps of White Plume Mountain. Their immediate goal was to locate and eliminate the evil witch known as the "Yaga". The trio of Bilbo, Mossmullet and Orsek wandered about the damp and mucky reaches North of the mountain in search of the legendary crone, hoping to end the menace and loot her magical treasures.
 
While they did eventually locate the fearsome Yaga, who was posing naturally enough as a harmless old woman traipsing slowly through the swamplands, their ensuing combat produced no clear victor. After a couple of rounds of mutual spell casting, the Yaga chose to make herself invisible and flee the field of battle. Unable to locate or track her, the adventurers decided to continue to scour the swamps for her (chicken-legged?) abode.
 
The most memorable enemies the group found in the day's travels was a dozen serpent-folk. While it might originally have been possible to limit the interaction to discussion and/or trade, neither side was particularly interested in the conversation. The serpents opined about the obvious tastiness of the hobbit, and refused to lead the heroes to the evil Yaga unless the Ungarts agreed to supply Bilbo to the serpents for a meal. Finding the offer unpalatable and the parlay unproductive, Orsek decided to challenge the lead serpent to a one-on-one duel (naturally, to the death). The serpent chieftain immediately accepted, and the combat began. The creature's battle-prowess was considerable, his bite proved poisonous, and his trident quite pointy. Orsek was nearly defeated, but used some powerfully overcast Chromatic Orbs to finally slay the lead serpent.
 
Despite having given their word to lead the party to the swamp witch should they lose, the serpents merely lead the trio around the endless pathways of the mire while plotting upon their evening hobbit-snack. A nighttime attack by the band of serpents proved ineffective, leading only to five of their tribe dying in the attempt. Undeterred by the obvious difficulty of their prey, the remaining six launched a further ambush the next day. It proved even more disastrous for them than their previous attempt; not a one of them survived.
 
The final encounter of the session was an ambush by a swamp slime. It oozed from the waters, slapping Bilbo into unconsciousness (and partially dissolving his precious silvered fry-pan), putting him in danger of being consumed and digested. Orsek stepped in to do battle with the formless foe, and battled until he too was nearly dead. Picking up their fallen comrade, Mosssmullet and Orsek fled the slime, deciding that the dangerous denizen of the swamps was beyond their current abilities. Retiring for the night, the heroes intend to continue their slow circuit of White Plume Mountain, before proceeding inward and downward into the depths of that dungeon.

Party Experience Gained 
Combat: 587 each
Exploration: 10 each
Plus, Orsek gained 69 as a bonus for dueling the Serpent King