Keep on the Shadowfell: Part Two

This is part two of a continuing series documenting the heroic deeds of the worthy adventurers I DM for once a fortnight. It's primarily here so I can remember what the hell was going on in the last game. Read part one here.

On the King's Road outside Winterhaven our brave adventurers Searos, Marroar and Scrindrel were recovering after a near-death encounter with some bloodthirsty kobolds. Lacking a healer in the group, the fight had been hard-going. But as luck would have it, a cleric from Winterhaven had heard of their brave plans and decided to join them. Giovana Bruno was her name, and healing spells were her game.

As the newly rejuvinated party were about to set off in search of the dragon's burial site, more good fortune befell them as another brave adventurer joined them. Marvin, son of Lord Padraig, had come at his father's behest to aid the party in defeating the kobolds, who had been a blight on the town of Winterhaven for far too long.

The party alighted on the dragon's burial site, a huge excavation punching a hole in the wilderness. The dig was being manned by several simple looking humanoids, under the direction of a shady looking gnome, and guarded by 2 fearsome drakes.

At first Agrid the gnome tried to convince Marroar and co. that there was nothing of interest in the dig and that they should move along. But as soon as he realised that the adventurers weren't going to give up so easily, he beckoned them closer, luring them into the path of the guard drakes. At an opportunistic moment, he commanded them to attack. The humanoids also turned their tools into weapons and descended.

A fierce battle broke out. As the guard drakes bit viciously at Giovana and Marvin, a strange spectral apparition appeared on the opposite site of the excavation. It appeared to be none other than Kalarel himself! He immediately cast dark magic, and an evil cloud of smoke flew around Marroar, forming terrible claws and paralysing him in mid-air.

Scrindrel took up a sniping position and began to loose arrows at the evil priest. Marroar was able to free himself from the evil smoky claws but they then reformed around Scrindrel. Giovana summoned her deity's light to smite the humanoids, as Marvin continued to tackle the drakes, and Searos headed for Agrid to take him out.

As each humanoid was slain, terrible words of magic were heard from Kalarel and they were reanimated as undead soldiers. Marroar cast a terrible thunder wave which destroyed most of the humanoids and bloodied the drakes, and finally Scrindrel freed himself of the terrible smoke and continued his assault on Kalarel.

Eventually the undead humanoids and the drakes were slain. Searos and Agrid were locked in a terrible dance of gnome-on-dwarf violence. Hammer strikes and pick-axe blows were traded back and forth by the vertically-challenged foes. In a dying breath, Agrid screamed "Kalarel! I have failed you!" and collapsed in a moderate-sized heap. Finally the group could turn their attention to destroying Kalarel, but as he was defeated they realised that he was just a spectral apparition, and not the real Kalarel.

Searching the dig site, bound and gagged and hidden under some blankets, Marroar discovered Douven, the explorer who had been missing from Thornvale for many weeks. Delighted to be freed, he made a gift of a +1 Amulet of Health to the group, and went on his way.

The party was overjoyed by their triumph (and edging ever closer to levelling up). But Marvin reminded them of his father's quest, and after making camp and enjoying a good rest, they set out to destroy the kobolds once and for all.