Gaming Session 1 (Oct. 2, 2004) (Total XP: 1,138)

30th Jilian: In the wake of the executions of "the Silltown Four," the slaves of Silltown rise up and overthrow the Humans. Defeated in Battle: 2 circus thugs; 2 Darkmoon Gang members; slave camp commandant & 6 guards; captain of the guard & 15 Haldeven regulars; assisted by Arabella Reaves Stuart, Rufus Coalhammer, Brick, Brack, and Fransson the Centaur. XP reward per player: 867 for defeated foes; 200 for winning the battle of Silltown.

2nd Jacoby: The leader of the rebellion, Rufus Coalhammer, calls a Revolutionary council.

3rd Jacoby: Party leaves on recon mission to Ft. Birch.

4th Jacoby: Party arrives at a lumber camp, where the slaves (just the preceding night) took control of the camp.

5th Jacoby: Party arrives at the edge of the forest at night fall, and can see Ft. Birch in the distance. They perform forced march to the fort under cover of darkness, and the Grig is able to perform aerial reconnaissance of it.

9th Jacoby: The Party returns to Silltown. XP reward per player: 71 for bringing back reconnaissance to Rufus.

Gaming Session 2 (Oct. 16, 2004) (Total XP: 928)

9th Jacoby: Upon returning from their mission to Ft. Birch, the party reports to Rufus. Elias meets with his old constable friend Warren Hammond (now being held in the provincial jail), and bargains with Rufus for Hammond's freedom, but doesn't get much cooperation from Hammond. Elias visits his old friend Barnard McFillig at the Flying Squirrel, and offers to help out, if Barnard needs anything. Gwil learns from Arabella that she may flee to the Shushanish Empire after the Humans return to Silltown; she doesn't like the martial law imposed on the Human section of town. Orton meets with the lay diaconate who have been running the Iron Street Mission in his absense, and learns that soup kitchen activities have expanded. He urges them to pray to Laa for guidance about the turbulent times that are coming. Orton also meets with Rufus to encourage him to consider freeing Humans who have proven to be friends of non-Humans, and to allow Humans who want to leave Silltown to leave, though Rufus is skeptical, and postpones a decision till later. Anax learns from Old Cornelius that his Karmarthian chess piece is "rare and valuable." D'Mitrius asks Rachaktal his opinion on Rufus, and Rachaktal reports that he believes him to be well-meaning, if not very foresighted. The party sets out on yet another reconnaissance mission to Ft. Blood, at Rufus' request.

10th Jacoby: As they continue down the Ft. Blood Road, they are confronted by a posse of 12 farmers and 3 dogs. The Gnome, backed by his big, scary friends, is the spokesman and successfully intimidates the farmers. XP reward per player: 300. Shortly thereafter, they encounter a cavalry squad that is not so easy to talk down. They kill 3 cavalry men and the squad leader, and take the remaining two captive, for interrogation. XP reward per player: 557. Using the cavalry squad's horses, they make it to Ft. Blood the same day and conduct a reconnaissance. The Grig sees some kind of terrible machine at the Fort, and further interrogation of the captives teaches the party of the dread Cosmic Knights.

11th Jacoby: Having successfully avoided other cavalry squads, the party arrives back in Silltown with their captives, and report to Rufus. XP reward per player: 71. The party is faced with a growing dilemma: what to do about the Power Guild, controlled by the Cosmic Knights, who remain a force unaccounted for by Rufus in the aftermath of the rebellion, and could threaten to undermine Free Silltown?

Gaming Session 3 (Nov. 6, 2004) (Total XP: 1,488)

11th Jacoby, after sunset: Rufus explains why he will not end martial law or release the humans. The Republican Army will be in Silltown by the end of the month, and the plan of escape must be set in motion no later than 15th Jacoby. Rufus asks the party whether they will stay in Silltown to help pin down the human forces in Fort Birch, or whether they will accompany the refugees to Kataraktis Pass. The party votes and decides to accompany the refugees.

12th Jacoby: Orton tells the folks at the mission to get ready for accompanying the refugees. Elias gathers information on the guild - learns about its international organization, the grand master guildsman and local grand guildsman, the special tax, and the "dangerous" nature of the technology. Gwil gathers information about magic -- learns from Ecstaticists that it happens in the northeast woods, and in the Copper woods (where there are ecstaticist healing chapels).

13th Jacoby: The refugees and rebel fighters leave Silltown for the Iron Woods.

15th Jacoby: The rebel fighters launch a diversionary attack on Fort Birch while the refugees make a forced march to the Copper Woods. In the Copper Woods, the party is able to detect magic.

29th Jacoby: The refugees reaches the northwestern edge of the Copper Woods. They decide to pass just north of Marbleton.

31st Jacoby: The refugees are attacked by a force of 250 militia, 100 cavalry, two cannon and two automatons. The party defeats 2 automatons, 6 cavalry men, 1 cavalry captain, 4 artillery men. XP reward per player: 1,488.

8th Alda: The refugees reach the northwestern edge of the Norton valley. Sebastian, the leader of the refugees gives the party an amulet as thanks for their assistance.

9th Alda: Rachaktal reveals the secret of the existence of the Goblin Dominion under the Karmarthian Mountains, and his mission to the Grand Goblin. The Goblin guard at the Silltown Gate attacked him and his companions, and the gate was locked. He suspects trouble in the Dominions. Rachaktal needs the party's help to find another way into the Underkingdom, and to help him reach Pharsalus, the capital. The party weighs the options, and decides to try the Delium Gate first.

Gaming Session 4 (Nov. 20, 2004) (Total XP for Anax, Cuauhtemoc, Elias, Gwil, Orton, Sebastian: 786; total XP for D'Mitrius: 400)

10th Alda: The party, mounted on light warhorses, begins their journey southward toward the Delium Gate. (24 miles over trackless plains.)

11th Alda: Shortly before arriving at the outskirts of a mining camp to the northwest of Shadowburg, the party encounters 4 lions. D'Mitrius "almost dies" in the battle. XP reward per player: 400 The party arrives at the outskirts of the mining camp. Reconnaissance by Gwil shows that A) the town is occupied by 15-20 slave camp guards and 5-10 militia, and B) magic does not work there. (Gwil tried casting an invisibility spell.) The party had considered liberating the slave camp, but then decides against it when they realize that magic doesn't work there. They make a forced march to get about 5 miles away from the camp. (24 miles over trackless plains.)

12th Alda: The party strikes westward into the mountains to avoid having to go through the mining camps. (16 miles over trackless mountains.)

13th Alda: The party continues southward, to the west of the mining camps. (16 miles over trackless mountains.)

14th Alda: Shortly before dawn, the party's camp is attacked by, and defeats, 9 ash rats. XP reward for Anax, Cuauhtemoc, Elias, Gwil, Orton, Sebastian: 386.

Gaming Session 5 (Dec. 4, 2004) (Total XP 1,114)

15th Alda: Battle with a behir. But for Elias successfully casting Tasha's Hideous Laughter on the Behir, Orton might have been swallowed whole by the beast. XP reward per player: 600.

17th Alda: Battle with a wyvern. The creature swoops down on the party, stinging them with its poison tail. Orton summons a celestial bee, which stings the Wyvern and poisons it, reducing its constitution just enough to allow Dmitrius and Sebastian to make their saves against the wyvern poison. XP reward per player: 300.

18th Alda: The party arrives at the Delium Gate. Dmitrius finds the hidden stela, Rachaktal speaks the words to open the gate, and, after bidding goodbye to their warhorses (and pony) they enter the mountain. The gate is guarded by a Goblin garrison, including Black Goblin archers (spotted in their balcony mounts by Cuauhtemoc), and Ogres. They learn from one of the White Goblin bureaucrats processing their entry of General Agamemnon's rebellion against the Grand Goblin, the siege of Pharsalus, and the "loss" of the Obsidian Blade. They learn that Grand Duke Sebastian of the Green Goblin Dominion (which they have just entered) is still neutral in the conflict. They pay the poll tax (625 GP) to allow them access to the Goblin Dominions (in return for which they receive the iron "passport" tokens). They buy a map from the Goblin magistrate (1,000 GP), and buy trail rations (at 3 times the normal price). Rachaktal is "detained" at the gate, under orders from Grand Duke Sebastian. He urges them to seek out Sergius Lefkoz in Knossus (in the White Goblin Dominion) or Phidias Sofos in Pharsalus (if they can make it into the capital). He asks them to take the strange black creature with them and to present it to the Grand Goblin if they are able to reach him, and gives a pair of Goblin Goggles to Orton. XP reward per player for escaping from the Republic of Nortonia: 214.

Chapter 2