Iron Will, Part 1

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About the Saga

The Blackrazors investigate rumors of an "iron man" terrorizing villages near another of the legendary Star Cairns.

This adventure is based on Sean Reynold's Star Cairns module.

Timeframe

Cast of Characters

Notable Quotes

  • "You crazy?" the blacksmith said, dumbstruck.
  • "No, we’re Blackrazors" Kalib responded.


What Has Come Before

After exploring one of the legendary Star Cairns and defeating a doppleganger under the control of an magical sword, the Blackrazors have returned to the Free City of Greyhawk.

The Saga

Sunsebb 17, CY 587

Terrek Redknife

Greyhawk. City of legends. City of myths. City of hope.

These thoughts swept through Terrek Redknife’s mind as he slowly walked the streets of the city’s River Quarter on the 17th of Sunsebb, CY 587. They were grand thoughts, but they were not what had drawn him to the great city from his far off homeland of Ratik. There was no sign of the person who had pulled him here from across that great distance. No sign at all.

Since arriving in the city he’d heard tales of the return of a certain infamous organization, the Blackrazor Guild. Word had it the leaders of the guild had been banished from the city a year ago … and that those leaders were now missing. Further more, there were rumors – not confirmed of course – that the new leaders had bought their way back into the city with a powerful magical item and the return of a much-wanted criminal.

And now that guild had settled in the River Quarter, taking control of a long-abandoned house and buying the dwelling immediately next for it for 20,000 gold.

The number staggered Terrek. Even for one of the Lord Baron’s guards, that amount of money was immense, but it wasn’t its main attraction. One of the guild’s powerful members was named a priest of Trithereon known as Kalib Ironfist. It was the thought of this priest, and vengeance, that drove him to the guild’s front door.

Enter the Blackrazor Guild

The house was a two-story building that clearly hadn’t been maintained for some time. Just outside its front door were piles of stone – possibly the remains of some of the building’s internal walls. The house’s companion dwelling, which the Blackrazors had allegedly spent so much on, was in the process of being demolished. He could see strong men in red shirts stained maroon with sweet smashing down the remaining walls and hauling the rock over to robed individual.

As he watched, the human man raised his arms, muttered a few words, and dissolved a huge mound of stone with some sort of magic.

Standing outside the front door, looking almost as out of place as himself, was an elf. This elf, dressed in simple green and brown leather armor that marked him as an ranger, was studying the door way. Before Derrek could introduce himself though, a large, resounding voice said: "Well are you going to stand there all day? Come in ya grunts."


The inside of the house was as bad as he’d suspected. The remains of walls lined the hallway and as he followed the gruff warrior – who had quarterstaff strapped to his back – he could see more of the red-shirted men scrambling to remove the rock. The warrior studently turned on his heels to face Terrek and his still-unnamed companion. "So, what are your names?" he demanded. Terrek spoke first. "Terrek Redknife, of the land of Ratik," he said. And then heard the elf next to him say "Mist Silvershroud."

The man nodded and then shouted over his shoulder. "Tanevir, there’s two new recruits down here!" The man’s voice easily overpowered the sound of smashing rock that filled the building. "And one of them’s an elf."

What followed was ritual embarrassment. Word of the possible recruits rippled through the guild hall even as the two men put down their 50 gold piece membership fee. Within minutes a crowd of 30 Blackrazors had gathered, and Mist and Terrek were shown to a crude training room. Waiting there for them was the gruff warrior they had first encountered. "My name’s Gef Ironhold," he said. "I’m the master of arms here and we need to evaluate --"

At this, a cheer went up from the gathered crowd.

Gef scowled. "We need to evaluate your abilities. We will face each other in straight combat, fighting until one of us is unconscious. Who’s first?"

The customary bets were placed – each person wagering on how many minutes Mist and Terrek would be able to last against Gef. The combat was short, sweet, and brutal. Mist went first, and was so unsettled by the process that he accidentally threw his sword across the room during his first attack. Gef, wanting it to be an honorable fight, let the ranger elf recover his blade. Two rounds later, the ranger was bleeding and unconscious on the floor. And two rounds after that, the barbarian Terrek followed him to the mat.

"Don’t worry," Kalib said with a smile as the warriors were helped to their feet. "The beer's on us tonight."

Sunsebb 18, CY 587

As the sun rose on the 18th of Sunsebb, CY 587, the Blackrazors began planning for their return to the Star Cairns. Kalib headed –escorted by the terramancer Sven Kildare – went to the Guild of wizardry where he bought two potions of acid resistance for 800 gp and a scroll of protection from gas for 1,000 gold. Tanevir Calywyn -- elven ranger and current master of th Blackrazor Guild -- went looking for news of his homeland down at the Star of Celene. Once there he learned that some in the kingdom were acting against the orders of their queen and were trying to drive the Iuzian forces from the Vesve Forest. Meanwhile, the Great Northern Crusade led by the Furyondian king Belvor, was continuing its push to reclaim his kingdom’s northern lands. Tanevir, who’s own mother disagreed with Queen Yoland’s policy, was pleased by the news.

The rest of the Blackrazors tended to minor tasks. The dwarf D’klar spent 450 gp on diamond dust for the stoneskin spells to protect himself and the two new guild members. As D’klar purchased the components, Tarrick tells the dwarf that his father used to put the skulls of slain orc chieftan on poles at his families estate. They then used the skulls for practice.

D’klar let out an agreeable snort. Kalib arranged passage on the Dora’s Dream, the barge they’d taken on their last trip to Hardby.

Captain Squirry was pleased to see them, but the crew was apathetic and forced them the sign of he evil eye at them – despite the fact that the guild had paid to repair the ship and had bought ale for everyone one board. As they boarded, the Blackrazors loaded on hooks, chains and a barrel labeled "hydra bait" in Common. The barrel had a crudely drawn sketch of halfling on the side. The captain took all this in with a slightly amused expression.

"Look’n to avoid many-headed attacks," he said.

"Well then stear us clear of them this time," Kalib replied.

The captain snorted. "Crew says t’was ‘cause ‘o the smell ‘o t’dwarf," he said.

Kalib smiled. "Well, I can’t disagree with that."

In the end, all of the guild’s preparations and the crew’s superstitions were for naught – the hydra didn’t attack. Upon arriving in Hardby on the 20th of Sunsebb, Kalib paid the 2 gold piece a person fee, and then gave the captain a 25 gold piece bonus for a safe journey.

They spent the night at the Cracked Skull Inn in Hardby. The mood of the tavern portion of the business was notabely subdued. When Kalib struck up a conversation with the owner of the establishment – Yosh – he learned that an iron golem had attacked and destroyed a village several day’s ride outside of Storm Keep known as Ironcrest. The attack has spoiled the mood of the city as refuges arrive with tales of the indestructable harbor. Kalib finished his beer, thanked Yosh, and went to sleep.

Sunsebb 23, CY 587

Questions

By the 23rd of Sunsebb, the Blackrazors -- Kalib Ironfirst, D'klar, Terrek, Tanevir, Mist and Gaiseric -- were back at Storm Keep, where they stopped briefly to talk with some of the refuges from Ironcrest. Most were too   horror-stricken to be of much help, but one was more useful.

"Name’s Boose," the man told Kalib. "I was a blacksmith in Ironcrest."

"We’re heading that way now," Kalib said.

"You crazy?" the blacksmith said, dumbstruck.

"No, we’re Blackrazors" Kalib responded.

"My fool son went off looking for golem. Now he’s dead." the man said. "Do you know this for certain?"

Boose looked out beyond the keep’s walls. "Nah, don’t know it for sure. But I can feel it. They went out two weeks ago. Never came back. He’s dead. I know it."

Kalib thanked the man for his help, and then quickly rejoined his friends.

Sunsebb 24, CY 587

Hunting the Golem

The next day they came across the large, flat, crushing footprints of a golem in the snow. Tanevir sent out his owl looking for golem and found it two miles.

"Big iron man stands on hill. Hard to see," the owl clicked into the elf’s ear. "Bad ice-water falling. Man looking for something, but not moving."

The Blackrazors weighed their options.

"What’s it doing out here?" Kalib wondered.

"I do not know, but is it posible that we could take control of this thing?" Tanevir asked.

"I doubt it," Kalib said. "I wonder if I could summon an rust monster to devour this thing." After thinking about it for a minute or two, he realized that would be beyond him. "Never mind," he told the others.

After several more minutes of debate, Kalib finally said. "How about Tactic #6, party member as bait?. Actually, on second thought, surprise isn’t such a good idea. We should go with Tactic #4 -- the full frontal"

Tanevir nodded. "Yes, the full frontal is that tactic that works best in this situation"

Terrek, who had been quiet for much of the debate, now added "After 10 minutes I can go stark raving berserk."

"That may not be the best thing to do," Kalib said. And with that, the Blackrazors began moving toward their enemy.

Battle with the Iron Will

The golem stood atop the hill just as the owl described. Its huge, man-like form was cloaked by the sleet and freezing rain falling around it. As the Blackrazors approached the hill, Terrek had decided to ignore Kalib’s advice and go into his berzerker rage. As soon as he saw the golem, the Ratik native ran into battle, screaming incoherently as foam spewed from his mouth.

He hit the hill at a full run and was utterly infuriated as he slipped on the sleet-slicked hill and slid down. On his second attempt – as Tanevir flew overhead with the aid of a fly spell – Terrek was able to climb the embankment and engage the iron man. He landed a powerful blow but his weapon failed to pierce the thing’s magical hide.

As Kalib and D’klar struggled up the hill after their barbaric colleague they found that they too couldn’t make it to the top – at least not easily. Kalib paused an unleashed a barrage of magic missiles from his glove of spell snaring, but they did not slow the creature.

Terrek prepared another mighty attack. He never completed it.

The golem opened its mouth and exhaled a deadly poisonous gas which instantly killed the barbarian. As the gas cleared, Gaiseric let loose a sling bullet which missed its target by a wide margin. Then – as the barbarian’s body began to cool in the freezing rain – Tanevir sweeped in and lashed out with his sword at the golem. The attack actually staggered the monster momentarily as the steel of his blade cut through the thing’s iron hide. His second string of attacks resulted in a hit – and a loss. Tanevir’s blade twisted out of his grip and went flying past the golem in an attack gone horribly wrong.

As golem turned its attention on Tanevir, D’klar and the newcomer Mist ran up the hill, grabbed Tarrick’s now-inert body and slid down the hill like barbarian children on sleds.

Tanevir managed to recover his sword as Kalib finally got to the top of the hill and engage the golem. The creature immediately struck him, but the attack was blocked by the protective stoneskin Tanevir had cast on him earlier.

Within minutes Tanevir and Kalib were able to reduce the golem to a pile of rust. As the Blackrazors re-grouped at the bottom of the hill Kalib was able to determine that the barbarian wasn’t as dead as they’d thought. By casting neutralize poison and other healing spells, the priest of Trithereon was able to bring the man back from death.

Sunsebb 25, CT 587

The Ruins of Ironcrest

On the 25th, the Blackrazors arrived at the remains of Ironcrest, where they found the remains of a war band which had been sent to deal with the creature. Everyone in it had been beaten beyond recognition and help. The buildings of the town – from the small farm houses to the old man Boose’s former smithy, had been destroyed.

After the investigation, the guild did the only thing they could do – they burned the body in a funeral pyre and then buried the ashes in the slush-covered hills outside of town.

Sunsebb 27, CT 587

Into the Cairn

The next day they headed out in search of the cairn, and on the 27th they found it. As they entered the first room of the cairn – which was laid out identically to the one they’d seen on their last expedition – the discovered the ruined bodies of slain ogres and hill giants. They also found – hovering in the air near the entrance -- "L" and "Sword" runes. A check of the bodies turned up nothing, but they did find two secret doors – one to the south, another to the east. A quick check by Gaiseric confirmed that the eastern secret door was trapped.

"I’ll open the door," Terrek said.

"I like a warrior who volunteers," D’klar said with a grim smile.

Beyond the secret door, Terrek found a number of statues – two nymphs, a horse and boy.

"Hmmm – we appear to have entered the kinky cairn," Tanevir said, looking over the barbarian’s shoulder. Terrek moved into take a closer look at the nymphs. Kalib followed – and the statues immediately attacked. The attack totally surprised Kalib, but Terrick was able to get an attack in.

"Save the nymphs!" Tanevir said with a laugh as he moved into attack.

"Shut up you horny elf!" Kalib cried and lashed out with Justiceseeker.

The Blackrazors made short work of the animated statues, and began expanding the rooms beyond. The nothern room included a bed with two chests. Gaiseric examined them and found traps. He attempted to disarm them, but failed. Suspicious, Kalib decided to open the chests and found junk iron in both – they had been a red herring.

In the next room they found a bed with a circle carved into the floor around it. Terrek advanced and found a spellbook on a small nightstand next to the bed. Kalib reached down and picked up the book and – as he opened it – was struck by a magical snake. He was instantly surrounded by a golden orb, which was fortunately dispelled by Tanevir.

The third room was leaking smoke, so the guild members decided to skip it and move on to the fourth.

"Justiceseeker, do you sense anything from this room?" Kalib asked. The sword sneered at him. I can’t understand why we’re crawling through this dungeon when we should be hunting down murderers, the sword replied. Kalib rolled his eyes and muttered "Oh Trithereon..."

Then he put his sword away, and pulled out his mace.

The room turned out to contain a scroll sitting on a bad. As Kalib and Terrek approached it, the thing scampered away. After chasing it around for several minutes, the Blackrazors decided to try a different approach. Mist readied some rope and managed to lasso it. When he opened it, he was rewarded for his quick thinking by a fiery explosion.

The final room – the one which was slowly leaking smoke – turned out to contain an ever-smoking bottle. Unable to find a cap for the bottle, the Blackrazors decided to move on. They returned to the main room where they were attacked by another iron golem. After a series of one-twos from Kalib’s Justiceseeker and Tanevir’s Darkbane, they were able to destroy the monster – and turn their attention to the rest of the cairn.

Experience & Loot

  • No experience and/or loot is available for this saga.
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