Blade Gauntlet

The hearty group arrived in a crumbling courtyard, with a teleportation circle at the center set within a field of blasted dark red stones.   Steep slopes strewn with rubble fell away in all directions but one.  There, a ruined staircase twisted down and across the shadowed landscape where pulsing white fire in the distance, cut through a ever present darkness.  The circle was surrounded by six foul looking creatures and a look of dismay passed amongst the group, until they realized that they had just completed an extended rest.


An immediate battle was joined as the enemy Ghost employed a Burst of Terror which left several members dazed and immobilized after being pushed nearer the large Famine Spirits.  The party attacked in return finding that all the creatures were insubstantial.  The Specters were pushed and dazed as the battle continued.

Demin found himself grabbed by the claws of a Famine Spirit and then was swallowed whole.  Mara used her new power to change places with Demin even though she couldn't see her.  The parties attacks were  focused on the ghost, which possessed Gofin.  Alhellara and Melisana both used their powers against undead and Melisana stole the insubstantial ability from one of the spirits.

Lythandar tried several attacks that failed so he reverted to magic missiles, which did full damage with an additional boon with Inescapable Force.  Melisana then found herself swallowed whole.  Mara again came to the rescue and the ghost soon fell as Pretis led with her RuinBlade, attacking with relish all undead.

The Specters then attacked with full Life Siphon and Spectral touch as the group found extra cold damage when standing next to a specter.  The Famine Spirits fell to the ministrations of the party.  The specters found themselves alone but continued to attack but were soon overwhelmed by the heroes.

After a short rest to lick their many wounds the group moved cautiously down the staircase.  As they moved down the group encountered a red mist hanging over the area at the bottom of the stairs.  Walls of black ice thrust up along the edges of the broad courtyard.  Fragments of blackened bone were spread across the ground, ant the remains of shattered blades were clustered into 10 foot high piles.  A staircase at the far end of the courtyard led deeper into the gloom.

Mara and Pretis led the way onto the courtyard, followed by Demin, Lythandar and Melisana.  As Gofin stepped off the staircase four piles of blades suddenly unfurled into humanoid forms of shattered steel and bone shards.  The Golems attacked at once and when they hit a hero that hero was weakened.  The group spread out as Demin attacked with his crossbow.  Mara and Pretis both attacked the Golems but found that when they hit the creature it attacked back in return with Haze of Shards.  Demin teleported to the top of an ice wall and just as Melisana flew there also they both found that they took cold damage.

Mara pulled the creatures toward her and Lythandar again used his magic missiles as his attacks were going south again.  Gofin shifted into a creature and the whole party was surprised as a blade shard pile suddenly attacked as the Golem moved away from it.  From now on the group attempted to stay away from the piles while still attacking the Golems.  The battle didn't last long as the group wore down the enemy and dispatched. them.

Again the heroes took a short rest, gained an Action Point and looked down the stairway into the gloom and white pulsing light beyond.

Scorecard:  The group received 9021 XP for the two battles and now have 145812 XP meaning they have gained 20th level.  They need 29188 more XP to reach 21st level.