Sessions 9 & 10 Report- In Pursuit of the Rhungeist

General Summary

After another night in the Mighty Piper Inn, this time spent without a team of assassins harrying their sleep, the party woke, anxious to seek out Violent and the Wetterkatze. Striking a course west, the party came across a series of small standing-stone markers. Father Brennan recognized these as being associated with the god Turnoc, also known as the Green One. Continuing, the group also noticed a large, but concentrated, storm on the horizon. Assuming the storm was somehow related to their search for the druidess Violet, the party moved toward the atmospheric anomaly. They were greeted with a difficult fight.
A large lightning elemental flitted and swirled above a huge tree that marked the center of an outdoor temple to Turnoc that sat on rocky stone hill. A large cave at the base of the hill projected boisterous growls and roars. A number of black bears, crackling with electricity, could be seen among the temples ruins. The party approached and learned, quite quickly, that the storm was formidable. While the bears proved to be little more than a nuisance, the storm itself radiated powerful bolts of lightning and strong electric blasts that seemed to consume the entire party. With persistence, and a little luck, the party managed to dissipate the storm, inadvertently freeing the trapped inhabitant in the cave.

A dire bear the size of a farmhouse somehow squeezed out of the cave entrance and approached the party. While he looked ferocious, he was also badly singed and burned, most likely from attempting to feel the storm. To the party's surprise he spoke common to them and introduced himself as Greyfur. He thanked them for their assistance in reconsecrating the temple, and for freeing him from the Spellstruck storm. As the party rested, Violet approached and provided a rapid introduction, tending immediately to the bear. She actually climbed up on his back to address some of the more badly burned portions of his body. The druidess was wild, but pleasant in her own manner. The conversation was awkward with neither side knowing exactly what to make of the other. As the stilted and sputtering exchange stopped again, the real object of the heroes materialized before them: the Wetterkatze. He was nothing that the party expected. He spoke like a swashbuckling seafarer, but his magical nature was unmistakable. He explained that he had been trapped here, attempting to anchor the storm to this location. He was clearly closely acquainted with both Greyfur and violet, the latter even offering him a hug after she leapt down from the back of the monstrous bear. The Wetterkatze told them party that they would need to seek out both the Shawl of the Sodden Soul and the original riverboat of the Rhungeist from when he was still an elven captain in the Silvaran army. To face the Rhungeist without the shawl would mean certain death, and without breaking the enchantment of the powerful armor that remains of the boat, the creature remained nearly invincible. The cat warned that the boat was guarded by a powerful spirit that he called the Roggenvolf.
The party seemed elated to take their leave from the trio and move forward in their quest, electing to bypass the Heiderman farm and go directly to Riverside to close in on the River Ghost. They arrived in Riverside in the early afternoon, a bittersweet homecoming for Ashton, who had not been home since he fled the scene of his family's massacre at the hands of The Skull. They headed to the Halcyon Harp, where they found themselves to be expected. Bordan Cillius nearly ran to meet them in the entryway, and they made the way down a series of stairs and landings to the bar in the amphitheater-shaped inn. Bordan could not stop himself from embracing Ashton in a great hug, and nearly pulling him to a table on the third floor where he introduced him to Aldus Banderhorn. "See Aldus? I told you that I found him and he was coming.""So you did, kid. So you did," muttered Aldus seemingly unmoved. Aldus appeared tired and worn. Ashton had known him when he was his father's lieutenant in the Riverside guard, and a close family friend. Aldus stood, stiffly, and clasped Ashton's hand firmly. "Thank you for coming, Ash. Finally, some hope for Riverside." Ashton felt a catch in his throat at the reunion. It had been not so long ago that this man would spar with him in the courtyard of his family estate while his father tended to some other important business. Aldus was a ghost of that man now, at least, in what Ashton saw before him. The meeting was not long, as Aldus pointed them to the river without much detail.
Ashton had a strange feeling about the entire ordeal. How could no one have found anything? Aldus was a capable and dedicated man, and Bordan seemed willing to do anything required, though young and impetuous he might be. Shaking his head as they left the inn. Ashton led the group outside and around the building to the Slag River which they followed downstream for some miles in abject silence. Eventually Krindle couldn't take it any longer and raced from the back of the marching line to the front and began peppering the paladin with questions out of sheer boredom. "Where is your house? Is your family still here? Ooooo, that's a nice stone. Do you have any brothers? Why did that inn smell like feet? Why haven't you been home in so long? Was that man your friend? Where are we going? Will it take long to get there?" Ashton was trying to think and ignore the gnome, thinking that maybe he should have stayed behind with Bordan for a time so that they could drive each other to drink. He clapped his right hand, somewhat gently over Krindle's mouth, and picked him up by his belt with his left hand so that he was looking directly into the wizard's, now wide, eyes. "Stop....Now..." he said slowly, with intent. "I need to think." At that moment, Ashton noticed something familiar: a place he and the other children would visit on occasion. An odd collection of large stones that marked the beginning of a series of falls and some rapids in the river, that looked, just slightly, like a large, open-mouthed, skull, IF you looked at it just right and with a child's imagination. "The barge-eater..." Ashton said, to himself. He put Krindle down and walked towards that part of the river.
"What's a barge-eater?" asked Krindle. Ashton ignored him. The rest of the party also strode forward. They noticed an elf sitting near the stones, staring into the water. He was dressed in light armor and had a singular sword at his hip. He turned toward the group of seven armed adventurers and held up his hands. " Hail, fellow adventurers. I am Feyd," he offered. He seemed honest enough, but he would have had to be the greatest swordsman in Karadire to try to fight them all. Father Brenan stepped forward and offered his hand to the elf as was his friendly style, and soon several of them were exchanging pleasantries, encouraged by Brenan wide smiles and calming demeanor. The gnomes were bored, almost immediately. As Glim scanned the area looking for anything of interest, he noticed an old-fashioned chain, barely visible, just below the waterline and anchored to one of the rocks about ten feet away from the shore. Krindle noticed him noticing it, and before anyone could stop him, Krindle had jumped onto the rock and pulled the chain with all of his might. Nothing happened, but the group was no longer engaged in conversation as the gnome nearly fell into the rapidly-flowing water and was quite worried that he would lose his grip. Their new companion, Feyd, leapt with ease onto the slick rock and pulled the gnome fully upright next to him. "Careful, small one," he said briefly, and then assisted the gnome in pulling on the chain. Soon a large grinding sound could be felt and a large circle of water began draining from near the center of the river. Out of that circle, floated a pair of ghosts.
The group engaged in a short, but difficult battle, during which the ghosts took possession of Earendel who utilized her bloody blades against several of her companions, unable to maintain control of her body. Glim was also hurt in the battle, though not in the traditional sense. When he stared into the undead visage of one of the attacking apparitions, he felt his life force ebbing away at a supernatural rate. His exposure to the ghost aged him several decades. Despite these setbacks, the party, led by father Brenan was soon descended down into the Cave of the Barge Eater.
At the bottom of an ancient stone ladder, cut into the side of the hole was a dark tunnel. Following the tunnel, the party found an underground cavern with a large lake. Several lights could be seen dancing along the surface of the water. Before long, the lights revealed themselves to be aggressive will o' wisps and the fight was also joined by several undead zombies. Within a minute, the party had eradicated the threat, shiny undead and large smelly undead both. They made their way to the far side of the room across several small rocks. A stone slab, that did not appear natural, barred their progress. Searching the cave, Earendel utilized her magics underwater to identify an enchanted stone that might be a way forward. Her search, however, disturbed a group of water trolls who burst forth and attacked with a bloodthirsty fury. Harrigan, at this key moment, had returned to the surface to guard the entrance and keep lookout for anyone following the group into the cave. The trolls slashed with the claws and chomped with their teeth, regenerating every few moments. Earendel was soon down, as were several of her companions. Kindle and Glim shot fire spells from a distance while Feyd, Ashton, and Rupert hacked and slashed at the green-skinned giants. The party would send one of the trolls to the stone floor with a powerful attack, but a mere second later, however, the beast was back on his feet, attacking with renewed vengeance. In the end, the party was badly injured, but the fire-based spells from the gnomes and Earendel stemmed the regenerative qualities of two of the beasts, while the third retreated below the surface of the water. As the party heaved and gasped at the momentary respite, Earendel used her magical eye to see to where the troll had gone. Under the surface, sitting near a pile of treasure, the trolls wounds were closing by the second. The party, now in possession of the stone "key," decided to leave the troll alone and continue on, deeper into the cave.
As they moved through the stone doorway, the party was faced with an enormous underground lake, and a series of rickety bridges between several stone islands.  Father Brenan sent his lights to the extent of the room, and Krindle and Earendel flew to examine their surroundings.  A large stone shaft and a doorway with a stone outcropping was several hundred feet away on the far side of the huge space.  Beyond that doorway was something so dark and black that it unsettled Krindle to his core.  The party examined the stone pillar and discovered some runes on the top and around the sides of it, but eventually grew impatient and made their way into the dark, meandering hallway.  The hallway was carved on both sides as an enormous bas-relief of skeletons and zombies.  Once inside, the hallway animated and began crushing and squishing the party.  Another pair of ghosts also exited the odd walls and began attacking the party, again possessing Earendel briefly.  Feyd and Ashton attacked the walls with all of their physical power, and Krindle retreated to the entrace where he fired magic missile after magic missile after magic missile directly into the walls.  Glim sent his mechanical spider ahead to scout, but the end of the hallway could not immediately be seen.  Feyd kept pace with the artificed arachnid.  Father Brenan shouted, "Forward, all!  We must move forward quickly."  No one seemed to notice nor take heed.  "Forward, Shinhalla damn it all, run!"  Most of the party stayed where they were and attached the walls and attempted to avoid the eviscerating blades of the possessed Earendel.  Glim's spider eventually emerged on the far side of the hall, with Feyd quickly behind, discovering a large hold that appeared eroded with water and went perfectly down.  Feyd returned to the exit of the hall and continued to smash at the wall with his blade.  The party did emerge victorious, sending the ghosts back into the walls and quelling the animation of the hallway.  Krindle also reentered the hall and joined them on the far side.  Carefully climbing down the hole, the party found a large metal grate covering another large pool of water with a large stone doorway to the north, adorned with huge carved skulls in the style of Balthusar, the god of undeath.  Through the doorway, the party could see, what appeared to be an underground temple, built within another large cavern.  It was here that Harrigan found them, and the party took a moment to rest from their battles.