Gaming Session 23 (November 5, 2005) (Total XP for each party member except Elias: 944; Elias: 784)

12th Amethyst: The party spends some time in Delphi provisioning themselves and preparing magical items (Elias fabricates a cloak of charisma, XP cost: 160.) After reporting back to the Goblin authorities, they are introduced to the White Goblin Mage, Grok, who will accompany them on their mission. The party is then teleported to Amphipolis, whence they must attempt to make it to Pharsalus. After gathering information and learning that there are no roads open to Pharsalus, Grok reads the Goblin map acquired at the Delium Gate, and suggests that they go down, into the Zone of Earth, through ancient Drow territory.

18th Amethyst: Party arrives in Meliki.

19th Amethyst: Party passes the frontier into the Gold Goblin Dominion.

21st Amethyst: Party arrives in an abandoned Goblin village. Battle with the Gargoyles and the Huge Animated Fountain. XP reward for defeating the Gargoyles and Fountain: 656.

24th Amethyst: Party arrives in the Drow village of Mursku. The village leader, Henki, reveals to Elias that the village is held hostage by an evil Drider. XP reward for defeating the Drider and her monstrous (large) spider minions: 288. On the body of the Drider, they find a magical ruby. As a reward for liberating the village, Henki gives them an ancient Drowish tome, entitled "On the Nature of the Gods." They ask Henki if he knows of any way to enter Pharsalus by a way that would avoid the armies besieging Pharsalus. He says that he cannot help, but Elias is aware that he is withholding what he knows. But no matter how hard they press him, he refuses to tell them anything but that he "cannot help them."

Gaming Session 24 (November 19, 2005) (Total XP for each party member: 788)

29th Amethyst: The party arrives in the mystical "Drow City" of Kolu, and discover a city divided by antagonism between Drow and non-Drow. In the Drow section of town, efforts to uncover information regarding "alternative" routes into Pharsalus run into obstinate refusal to share information, not unlike that encountered in the village of Mursku. In the Goblin section of town, the party gradually locate an old Goblin named Grigory who, for a price of 200 GP, describes to the party where they may find a secret "Drow road."

D'mitrius, noticing that party is being watched, attempts to catch the watchers unaware, but is himself caught! When the rest of the party discover D'mitrius missing, Sebastian tracks him by scent to the end of a blind alley in the heart of the Drow section of town, where the party is ambushed by Drow rogues. Despite a valiant battle, one by one, the party members succumb to the Drow knock-out poison.

When they come to, they find themselves in a Drow prison. Initially, they overhear their guards saying it is the intention of the Drow to execute them. But then a Drow priestess appears before them to inform them that Drowish diviners have learned of their mission to find the Emperor, and are willing to allow them to pass through the Drow secret roads unharmed, if they can pass a special test... Passing the test means free passage, failing the test means death.

30th Amethyst: The test is to recover some stolen scrolls from a renegade Drider who is hiding out on the Drow secret road. The party defeat 3 Driders... But in the heat of battle, Gwil unleashed a fireball which reduces the scrolls to ashes... XP reward for defeating the Driders: 788.

Gaming Session 25 (December 17, 2005) (Total XP for each party member: Sebastian, Xu, Orton, Grok, Elias, Dmitrius: 2,100; Gwil, Cuauhtemoc: 1,800)

30th Amethyst: The party returns to Kolu. When they inform the Drow that the scrolls were incinerated in the heat of battle, they are arrested and incarcerated.

38th Amethyst: The party meet their Drow Defender, Väittelynhaluinen. He informs them that the likely punishment for their failure is death, but this must be determined by a Drow tribunal. He believes Judge Viekkaus, first wife of Julmuus, the local Drow magistrate, will be open to an argument he will make on the basis of a rather arcane point of Drow law.

39th Amethyst: The tribunal before Judge Viekkaus takes place. She accepts the Defender's proposal, and declares that the guilt or innocence of the party will be determined by a special divination called a Tapahtuisiko, a reading of entrails. Whose entrails depends on whether the party wins or loses the death match preceding the divination.

A special die was rolled to determine which foe the party would face. The bone clattered across the stone floor of the temple of Obsidian and came up "4," meaning they would face the most challenging foe it was possible to face.

41st Amethyst: At the Tapahtuisiko, the party faces a Dragonflesh Golem. Though this terrifying creature left Gwil, Grok, Elias, Dmitrius, and Xu deeply shaken, and though none of their magic seemed to harm it, their seemingly ineffectual fire spells did slow the creature down, long enough for them to eventually kill it using physical attacks. In the end, it was the Dragonflesh Golem's entrails that were read, and the party is absolved. XP reward for defeating the Dragonflesh Golem: Sebastian, Xu, Orton, Grok, Elias, Dmitrius: 2,100; Gwil, Cuauhtemoc: 1,800.

42nd Amethyst: The party's guide on the Drow secret road is none other than Rachaktal, who was freed from the prisons of Archduke Sebastian by the King of the Drow, and was allowed to return to his home of Tallinn. He is currently in the service of the Drow King.

6th Topaz: The party arrives at Viljandi.

16th Topaz: The party arrives at Raja, just below Pharsalus.

17th Topaz: The party ascends a steep tunnel, and enter Pharsalus. They learn that the secret road has led them to a rough, working class district of Pharsalus. They find a local inn, Hematite's Tavern, whence they begin their reconnaissance.

They learn that the people of Pharsalus are deeply demoralized, and believe that the Emperor has lost the favor of the gods. The city is under martial law, and general in charge of the city's defense, Nikolai, is weak and ineffectual, a pawn of the Goblin bureaucracy. They also learn that the best way to get close to the court and possibly is through the bureaucracy, and the best place to meet bureaucrats socially is at the Blue Dragon, next to the Civil Service academy. There, they learn that the civil servant they really ought to talk to is Phidias Sofos, at the temple of Obsidian. Then they remember something...(!)

18th Topaz: The relate their long, sad story to Phidias Sofos, and Sofos shares his concerns and suspicions. Sofos introduces the party to Eladriel, ambassadress of Sahariel Queen of the Fairies. Eladriel agrees to bring the party as members of her entourage to an upcoming state dinner; however, all but the Grig and the Gnome are required to undergo a transformation in order to do so. They become satyrs, except for Orton who becomes a brownie.

26th Topaz: During the reception at the state dinner, the party hobnobs and mingles with diplomats and their charges d'affairs. They see Elves, Dwarves, and purple-garbed Wizards from far-flung Oceania (beings who resemble humans, but they are informed, are not human). They also see the Empress and the two highest ranking Goblins after the Emperor. Elias introduces himself to Dmitrius, one of the Empress's servants, and convinces him to introduce him to the Empress. Elias broaches the purpose of their mission -- to bring the Emperor back to Delphi, but is brushed off by the Empress. He succeeds in detecting her thoughts, but before he can tell anyone else in the party that he has learned that the Emperor is missing, the Empress becomes aware of the Detect Thoughts cast on her, and calls for her guards to arrest Elias.

Chapter 7