After the parties and feasts to celebrate their victory over Evil concluded, the party made their way back into the world.
Tselem founded a great school on the site of the ancient pyramid they'd discovered, and it became a renowned center of learning.
Maak Tol opened the great alehouse ever: The Slaughtered Rose.
Azeri become a traveling librarian, blessing and helping and traveling with every creature she could find.
Taumir amused himself with playing pranks and starting rumors and hiding treasure maps.
Most of their massive wealth went to these endeavors: Tselem set up scholarships, Maak Tol franchised The Slaughtered Rose. They donated to orphanages, and to public infrastructure - they had developed a low opinion of the lightning rail and sought to improve it.
The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity were sometimes called upon to fight evil and help the world. The war between Drooam and Breland was brought to an end. And through their efforts the world passed into a more peaceful age. It was no utopia - the monsters of Khorvaire did not disappear, and the Mournland was not healed. But Eberron began to recover from the long night of turmoil it had suffered.
In time the Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity were taken home to their rewards, ascending into immortal glory in the Astral Sea.
As the centuries passed, history faded into legend, and legend into myth.
But the tales of the Knights of the Thirteen Moon were never forgotten.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Session #87: The End of All Things
The party left the realm of the Platinum Trinity and made their way to The Endless Night, a dark place within the Astral Sea wherein Tiamat dwelt. Entering it was like entering a dark and foggy forest, full of foreboding sounds and choking mists. Above the gnarled trees they could see the Fortress of the Chromatic Dragon. Undaunted, they made their way to it.
Flying up to the main entrance was quickly ruled out, and they made their way into a cave entrance, skirting along the edge of the Maggot Pit. As they entered the castle, Tselem transformed into a generic Dragonborn, and used an illusion to make it look like she was a servant bringing the rest of the party in chains up to the audience chamber. The fortress was a twisting web of tunnels and corridors. Gems and jewels and gold and treasure lay scattered on the floor, more treasure than a even a dragon could collect in a lifetime. The party could hear the roars of dragons & guards in the bowels of the structure beneath them, as well as the screams of damned prisoners. Taumir happened across a watch he'd lost years ago.
The party was able to bluff and sneak their way up to the audience chamber with little difficulty. And there they finally beheld her: Tiamat. Her five heads looked every direction, her eyes shining with rage and madness. One of the heads took note of them as they entered, but did not seem to really care. The party positioned themselves for battle, and then dropped the illusion of the chains and called to their foe.
Tiamat turned, to them, and her faces showed surprise. "Well, well, well," she rumbled, "I never thought Bahamut would have the guts."
And thus the battle commenced! Taumir fired first, landing a substantial blow! Tiamt retaliated, and missed! Tselem mocked her failure, which may have been a mistake, as Tiamat then responded with a devastating set of attacks and that left Taumir and Tselem unconscious and bleeding out! Azeri was able to heal them and get them back on their feet.
Taumir quickly realized that a direct assault on Tiamat was not going to work, that they were going to have be more clever. He pulled out his Exodus Knife, and created an impenetrable pit (a pocket dimension) where they could take cover and strike out from. They had to dodge around Tiamat's attacks to get in, and Maak Tol was blinded in the process, but they all made it!
At this point they were safe from Tiamat, and in no shape to continue the battle, so they decided to rest for 6 hours and try again. Tiamat was no fool, and realized what they were doing, but she didn't seem impressed. She flew off to attend to other matters, and then later returned to wait them out.
Tselem tried to create a portal around one of Tiamat's necks to decapitate (or least severely wound) her. Regrettably, his brilliant strategy was foiled when the spell failed. The party then developed a strategy where they would quickly open the door to the pit, fire out an attack, and then shut the door before Tiamat could retaliate. This kept them safe from her awesome power but allowed them to strike at her somewhat with impunity. Tiamat seemed unconcerned about the hits but irritated enough to keep trying to get to them.
Maak Tol and Tselem took turns using the two bags of tricks the party had to send out random creatures to attack Tiamat. A flying Gorgon and a large spider both tried their best, but were dashed to pieces against the power of Tiamat's evil aura.
The party knew their most important weapon in this fight though was the weapon Orisis had forged for them. If they could strike Tiamat with it just once, they could prevent her from disincorporating, and then they could truly kill her! They elected Maak Tol to wield the sword, but he was having trouble getting close enough to land a hit.
It was then that the party hit on an idea: what if they gave the sword to Taumir, and he shot it from his bow?
It was an audacious plan, so naturally they immediately put it into motion. Taumir notched the massive weapon in his bow, using all his strength to hold it steady. The door to their pit was flung open, and he let it fly. And it struck true! Their godslaying weapon had found its mark!
Tiamat was properly affected but was by no means dead. In fact, she barely seemed to notice. The sword fell back into the pit and returned to Maak Tol's hand. Maak Tol then flew out of the pit - he'd taken on his animal forms so he could - and began to engage the dragon at point-blank range, trying to ensure she'd stay put long enough for them to defeat her, and also to draw some of her fire and ire away from his fellows.
The rest of the party took full advantage of this! Tselem was even able to force her to land, and then to attack herself! Tiamat tried to dominate Maak Tol several times as the battle raged on, but Azeri always cast off the curse as soon as it could land, leaving Maak Tol a little dazed but everyone unharmed. After the third or fourth time however they decided to bring him under cover again.
All this while spells and arrows and blast of radiant light had been striking at Tiamat, and now she began to truly feel weary. And then she reached that point that she could have disincorporated ... and she did not.
And at that moment the Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity saw something that probably no other mortal had ever seen. They saw fear on the faces of a God.
Tiamat's fear erupted into rage. She let forth a vicious stream of attacks that they were not able to shut the door against beforehand. The party shuddered under the force of her anger. But when it had passed, the party was still alive, and safe behind their cover. The true possibility of victory roused them, and they began attacking from cover once more.
Maak Tol even felt confident enough to moon their foe! Tiamat repaid this by dominating him when he came out, and then sending him back in to attack his fellows before the door could be shut. But Azeri once again saved the day!
The volleys continued back and forth, Maak Tol sometimes sharing the cover, other times keeping the dragon from fleeing. But this tactic would not work forever, and as Tiamat's strength ebbed out of her little by little, with no way to recover, she began to make as to flee. But Azeri would have none of this. She flew out on her cloud chariot and immobilized Tiamat! The party wasted no time striking at her in this weakened state. When Tiamat was free, she knocked Azeri out of the sky, but Azeri merely teleported herself back into position. She once again healed the party and they resumed their assault.
And then Taumir let an arrow fly and it struck beneath Tiamat's massive scales, and with the scream that seemed to split the Astral Sea itself, Tiamat began to disintegrate! Poisoned blood and fire spewed from her guts as ice froze and shattered her bones.
The evil god Tiamat was forever and truly dead!
The party rejoiced, but their glee was quickly tempered by the fact that the entire Endless Night began to collapse. The Fortress began falling apart, the Maggot Pit began burning up, the forest they'd traveled though was eaten up with blight in seconds. Tiamat's evil servants burned around them, and the treasure was swallowed up into a black hole as all of Tiamat's realm began to disappear into nothingness. The party took flight, either on their own power or on the cloud chariot, and made their escape!
They emerged into the Astral Sea to the sounds of joy and rejoicing!
Flying up to the main entrance was quickly ruled out, and they made their way into a cave entrance, skirting along the edge of the Maggot Pit. As they entered the castle, Tselem transformed into a generic Dragonborn, and used an illusion to make it look like she was a servant bringing the rest of the party in chains up to the audience chamber. The fortress was a twisting web of tunnels and corridors. Gems and jewels and gold and treasure lay scattered on the floor, more treasure than a even a dragon could collect in a lifetime. The party could hear the roars of dragons & guards in the bowels of the structure beneath them, as well as the screams of damned prisoners. Taumir happened across a watch he'd lost years ago.
The party was able to bluff and sneak their way up to the audience chamber with little difficulty. And there they finally beheld her: Tiamat. Her five heads looked every direction, her eyes shining with rage and madness. One of the heads took note of them as they entered, but did not seem to really care. The party positioned themselves for battle, and then dropped the illusion of the chains and called to their foe.
Tiamat turned, to them, and her faces showed surprise. "Well, well, well," she rumbled, "I never thought Bahamut would have the guts."
And thus the battle commenced! Taumir fired first, landing a substantial blow! Tiamt retaliated, and missed! Tselem mocked her failure, which may have been a mistake, as Tiamat then responded with a devastating set of attacks and that left Taumir and Tselem unconscious and bleeding out! Azeri was able to heal them and get them back on their feet.
Taumir quickly realized that a direct assault on Tiamat was not going to work, that they were going to have be more clever. He pulled out his Exodus Knife, and created an impenetrable pit (a pocket dimension) where they could take cover and strike out from. They had to dodge around Tiamat's attacks to get in, and Maak Tol was blinded in the process, but they all made it!
At this point they were safe from Tiamat, and in no shape to continue the battle, so they decided to rest for 6 hours and try again. Tiamat was no fool, and realized what they were doing, but she didn't seem impressed. She flew off to attend to other matters, and then later returned to wait them out.
Tselem tried to create a portal around one of Tiamat's necks to decapitate (or least severely wound) her. Regrettably, his brilliant strategy was foiled when the spell failed. The party then developed a strategy where they would quickly open the door to the pit, fire out an attack, and then shut the door before Tiamat could retaliate. This kept them safe from her awesome power but allowed them to strike at her somewhat with impunity. Tiamat seemed unconcerned about the hits but irritated enough to keep trying to get to them.
Maak Tol and Tselem took turns using the two bags of tricks the party had to send out random creatures to attack Tiamat. A flying Gorgon and a large spider both tried their best, but were dashed to pieces against the power of Tiamat's evil aura.
The party knew their most important weapon in this fight though was the weapon Orisis had forged for them. If they could strike Tiamat with it just once, they could prevent her from disincorporating, and then they could truly kill her! They elected Maak Tol to wield the sword, but he was having trouble getting close enough to land a hit.
It was then that the party hit on an idea: what if they gave the sword to Taumir, and he shot it from his bow?
It was an audacious plan, so naturally they immediately put it into motion. Taumir notched the massive weapon in his bow, using all his strength to hold it steady. The door to their pit was flung open, and he let it fly. And it struck true! Their godslaying weapon had found its mark!
Tiamat was properly affected but was by no means dead. In fact, she barely seemed to notice. The sword fell back into the pit and returned to Maak Tol's hand. Maak Tol then flew out of the pit - he'd taken on his animal forms so he could - and began to engage the dragon at point-blank range, trying to ensure she'd stay put long enough for them to defeat her, and also to draw some of her fire and ire away from his fellows.
The rest of the party took full advantage of this! Tselem was even able to force her to land, and then to attack herself! Tiamat tried to dominate Maak Tol several times as the battle raged on, but Azeri always cast off the curse as soon as it could land, leaving Maak Tol a little dazed but everyone unharmed. After the third or fourth time however they decided to bring him under cover again.
All this while spells and arrows and blast of radiant light had been striking at Tiamat, and now she began to truly feel weary. And then she reached that point that she could have disincorporated ... and she did not.
And at that moment the Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity saw something that probably no other mortal had ever seen. They saw fear on the faces of a God.
Tiamat's fear erupted into rage. She let forth a vicious stream of attacks that they were not able to shut the door against beforehand. The party shuddered under the force of her anger. But when it had passed, the party was still alive, and safe behind their cover. The true possibility of victory roused them, and they began attacking from cover once more.
Maak Tol even felt confident enough to moon their foe! Tiamat repaid this by dominating him when he came out, and then sending him back in to attack his fellows before the door could be shut. But Azeri once again saved the day!
The volleys continued back and forth, Maak Tol sometimes sharing the cover, other times keeping the dragon from fleeing. But this tactic would not work forever, and as Tiamat's strength ebbed out of her little by little, with no way to recover, she began to make as to flee. But Azeri would have none of this. She flew out on her cloud chariot and immobilized Tiamat! The party wasted no time striking at her in this weakened state. When Tiamat was free, she knocked Azeri out of the sky, but Azeri merely teleported herself back into position. She once again healed the party and they resumed their assault.
And then Taumir let an arrow fly and it struck beneath Tiamat's massive scales, and with the scream that seemed to split the Astral Sea itself, Tiamat began to disintegrate! Poisoned blood and fire spewed from her guts as ice froze and shattered her bones.
The evil god Tiamat was forever and truly dead!
The party rejoiced, but their glee was quickly tempered by the fact that the entire Endless Night began to collapse. The Fortress began falling apart, the Maggot Pit began burning up, the forest they'd traveled though was eaten up with blight in seconds. Tiamat's evil servants burned around them, and the treasure was swallowed up into a black hole as all of Tiamat's realm began to disappear into nothingness. The party took flight, either on their own power or on the cloud chariot, and made their escape!
They emerged into the Astral Sea to the sounds of joy and rejoicing!
VICTORY!
Friday, September 6, 2019
Sessions #85 & #86: The Abyssal Terror (Parts I & II)
The party was teleported from the Astral Sea to the Dragonwood, to the lair of Ashardalon himself. Infused with their new-found power, a fierce and mighty battle commenced!
The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity smote their enemy upon on their and earned their place among the gods!
They returned to the Astral Sea to receive their official callings, and to begin their final preparations for the Destruction of Tiamat!
Rewards
The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity smote their enemy upon on their and earned their place among the gods!
They returned to the Astral Sea to receive their official callings, and to begin their final preparations for the Destruction of Tiamat!
Rewards
- You will all advance directly to level 33!
Session #84: The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity
Orisis spent a night and a day forging the weapon, during which time the party waited uneasily. (While there they learned it was now the 5th of Aryth). When the weapon was complete, it was truly a sight to behold. It was a great broadsword that glistened like polished onyx, black and deadly. It was longer even than Maak Tol was high. It was truly a godslaying weapon.
Only moments after Orisis handed the weapon to them and told them to be on their way, a great shining portal opened into the dungeon! All five stared in astonishment as a tall creature stepped through. He was clad in royal robes, and looked somewhat like a dragonborn, but was more dragon and more man than any dragonborn they'd ever seen. He was beautiful and regal, and shone like the sun.
Orisis demanded to know who he was and how he had managed to get through his anti-teleportation spells. The dragon-man gave him a passing glance and said, "That will be enough from you." He then waved his hand and the evil Orisis disintegrated into dust.
This newcomer now had the party's full attention. He introduced himself: "I am Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, God of justice, protection, nobility, and honor." He said that he and his fellow good deities had been watching the party for some time and had an invitation for them. "Come and see," he said, beckoning them to follow him through the portal.
The stunned party only hesitated for a moment, then followed him through.
They found themselves in the midst of the Astral Sea. Gold and diamonds shimmered around them, in the air, in the clouds, in the sea. It was the most beautiful and divine place they could image, and the very air around them was infused with peace and righteousness. Bahamut bid them follow him again, and led them to where two other deities joined them: Corellon, God of spring, beauty, and the arts (and nominally Taumir's deity), and Ioun, God of knowledge, skill, and prophesy (Azeri is a priest of Ioun).
Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun told them a tale of how the evil gods Tiamat, Vecna, and Torog have formed an Unholy Trinity to try and free Kyber, the Dragon Below, the Underdark, from the coils of Eberron, the Dragon Between, and unleash the horrors of Kyber on the plane of Eberron. The Last War gave them the opportunity they needed to put their plans into motion: the chaos, the fear, the suffering, the despair made for perfect conditions. The Day of Mourning that destroyed Cyre was their work. In response, Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun have formed themselves into The Platinum Trinity to combat their evil.
"And we have selected you," Bahamut says, "to be our Exarchs in Eberron." [Exarchs are like demi-gods, executors of the will of the gods.]
The party is stunned and honored. Still, they are not fools, and nothing, even from good deities, comes without price. The Platinum Trinity offered them great power, and the ability to finish their goal of slaying Tiamat, but what would be expected in return? Tselem especially was wary of being commanded to do things that he did not agree with. Bahamut was a tad nonplussed by this, but after discussing it with the other two, it was agreed that even as Excarchs, the Knights would have the latitude to refuse a task.
With these conditions agreed upon, the party was informed that there would be one final test to ensure they were ready for this great honor. The dragon Ashardalon has long terrorized the people of Breland from his lair in the Dragonwood. "Slay him for us, and for Eberron," the Trinity said, "and you will be ready at last to face Tiamat!"
Rewards
Only moments after Orisis handed the weapon to them and told them to be on their way, a great shining portal opened into the dungeon! All five stared in astonishment as a tall creature stepped through. He was clad in royal robes, and looked somewhat like a dragonborn, but was more dragon and more man than any dragonborn they'd ever seen. He was beautiful and regal, and shone like the sun.
Orisis demanded to know who he was and how he had managed to get through his anti-teleportation spells. The dragon-man gave him a passing glance and said, "That will be enough from you." He then waved his hand and the evil Orisis disintegrated into dust.
This newcomer now had the party's full attention. He introduced himself: "I am Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, God of justice, protection, nobility, and honor." He said that he and his fellow good deities had been watching the party for some time and had an invitation for them. "Come and see," he said, beckoning them to follow him through the portal.
The stunned party only hesitated for a moment, then followed him through.
They found themselves in the midst of the Astral Sea. Gold and diamonds shimmered around them, in the air, in the clouds, in the sea. It was the most beautiful and divine place they could image, and the very air around them was infused with peace and righteousness. Bahamut bid them follow him again, and led them to where two other deities joined them: Corellon, God of spring, beauty, and the arts (and nominally Taumir's deity), and Ioun, God of knowledge, skill, and prophesy (Azeri is a priest of Ioun).
Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun told them a tale of how the evil gods Tiamat, Vecna, and Torog have formed an Unholy Trinity to try and free Kyber, the Dragon Below, the Underdark, from the coils of Eberron, the Dragon Between, and unleash the horrors of Kyber on the plane of Eberron. The Last War gave them the opportunity they needed to put their plans into motion: the chaos, the fear, the suffering, the despair made for perfect conditions. The Day of Mourning that destroyed Cyre was their work. In response, Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun have formed themselves into The Platinum Trinity to combat their evil.
"And we have selected you," Bahamut says, "to be our Exarchs in Eberron." [Exarchs are like demi-gods, executors of the will of the gods.]
The party is stunned and honored. Still, they are not fools, and nothing, even from good deities, comes without price. The Platinum Trinity offered them great power, and the ability to finish their goal of slaying Tiamat, but what would be expected in return? Tselem especially was wary of being commanded to do things that he did not agree with. Bahamut was a tad nonplussed by this, but after discussing it with the other two, it was agreed that even as Excarchs, the Knights would have the latitude to refuse a task.
With these conditions agreed upon, the party was informed that there would be one final test to ensure they were ready for this great honor. The dragon Ashardalon has long terrorized the people of Breland from his lair in the Dragonwood. "Slay him for us, and for Eberron," the Trinity said, "and you will be ready at last to face Tiamat!"
Rewards
- You have advanced directly to level 30!
Monday, May 6, 2019
Session #83: The Use for a Devil
The party was not sure how much time had passed since the fight on the lake. Had it been two weeks, or only ten days? Time was so hard to tell here in the Underdark. At least the last two fights had given them something of a reputation, and no creatures dared molest them as they passed through the gloom, lonely and a little afraid.
Just as they were beginning to think they were hopelessly lost and would never find their way, they discovered a huge cavern. It had to be several thousand square meters large. The bones of many, many types of creatures were scattered on the ground. A dry, foreboding dust, and the stench of death hung thick in the cavern. And at the center of it, surrounded by a moat of lava, was a great fortress, with irregular black stones and a hunched, wicked expression to it.
The party was sure they'd finally found it: the lair of Orisis.
They were a little unsure of what to expect, but decided to plunge right in. No one stopped them from entering the foreboding fortress, and they soon made their way into a lower level, where their scrying had determined their host was. The underground room was something a cross between a morgue and a workshop. Orisis himself was an undead humanoid of indeterminate race. He was clothed in a cape of skin. He was unsurprised and unbothered as the party made their way into his chambers: he only grinned slyly.
The party told him of their errand. He named his usual price: defeat him in combat, and he would make them what they asked. He offered to do it for money, posing the enormous sum of 100 million gold, but the party was not willing to part with so much, and decided to go for the 'kick his ass' route. Orisis for his part was game: he clearly expected to win handily.
But on this day Orisis learned that the reputation of the Knights of the 13th Moon was well-deserved. He stood very little chance against them. The battle was fierce, but he was just one against four of the greatest warriors Eberron has ever known. Orisis was brought low, and defeated!
As he lay there, barley clinging to (un)life, the wicked creature used what little strength he had left to gasp out his congratulations. He would forge them their God-slaying sword!
Rewards
Just as they were beginning to think they were hopelessly lost and would never find their way, they discovered a huge cavern. It had to be several thousand square meters large. The bones of many, many types of creatures were scattered on the ground. A dry, foreboding dust, and the stench of death hung thick in the cavern. And at the center of it, surrounded by a moat of lava, was a great fortress, with irregular black stones and a hunched, wicked expression to it.
The party was sure they'd finally found it: the lair of Orisis.
They were a little unsure of what to expect, but decided to plunge right in. No one stopped them from entering the foreboding fortress, and they soon made their way into a lower level, where their scrying had determined their host was. The underground room was something a cross between a morgue and a workshop. Orisis himself was an undead humanoid of indeterminate race. He was clothed in a cape of skin. He was unsurprised and unbothered as the party made their way into his chambers: he only grinned slyly.
The party told him of their errand. He named his usual price: defeat him in combat, and he would make them what they asked. He offered to do it for money, posing the enormous sum of 100 million gold, but the party was not willing to part with so much, and decided to go for the 'kick his ass' route. Orisis for his part was game: he clearly expected to win handily.
But on this day Orisis learned that the reputation of the Knights of the 13th Moon was well-deserved. He stood very little chance against them. The battle was fierce, but he was just one against four of the greatest warriors Eberron has ever known. Orisis was brought low, and defeated!
As he lay there, barley clinging to (un)life, the wicked creature used what little strength he had left to gasp out his congratulations. He would forge them their God-slaying sword!
Rewards
- 22,000 XP each!
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Session #82: Raiders in the Dark (Part II)
Tselem blasted the creatures with his acid wave, nearly melting most of them. A blast of fire then finished the job for most of them, including the slug monster. The fish-creatures were incensed by this (they'd been shouting curses in Deep Speech this whole time, but only Maak Tol could understand them). Two of the harpoon-wielding enemies were able to pull Tselem and Taumir off the chariot into the water! Azeri & Maak Tol tried to pull them back out, but they weren't quite strong enough. It didn't really matter though, as both were able to tread water and continue launching attacks. Taumir was just as lethal with his arrows, cleaving foes in half with his tiny spears.
Their ranks finally thinned, the fish-creatures could no longer press the advantage, and soon they all were dead! Tselem then swam through his own portal and launched himself back on top of the cloud chariot.
Rewards
Their ranks finally thinned, the fish-creatures could no longer press the advantage, and soon they all were dead! Tselem then swam through his own portal and launched himself back on top of the cloud chariot.
Rewards
- 27,000 XP each!
- (Reminder: we're suspending monetary/treasure rewards for now since your collected net worth is nearly 1 billion GP at this point.)
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Session #81: Raiders in the Dark (Part I)
For the next day and a half the party made their way through Khyber, hoping they were drawing closer to Orisis' lair. In the pitch black, only Maak Tol could see clearly, while the rest of the party relied on Tselem's magical lights to feel their way along. The passage of time was hard to gauge, but their trip was thankfully free of encounters with monsters.
By their reckoning it was evening on the 21st of Sypheros when they entered the cavern. It was a huge room, so large that even Maak Tol could not see the other side. They could all feel the breezes blowing through, and they could also see, hear, and smell the massive lake filling the chamber. The water was rank, but calm, and lapped gently at the shore only a few feet from where they stood.
The party couldn't see any way through but across the lake, but were wary of what might be lurking beneath it, so they weren't about to swim. So Azeri cast her cloud chariot and they all boarded for the trip across. They skimmed a dozen feet or more above the surface, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of trouble.
And sure enough it wasn't long before they found some. From beneath the dark surface emerged a half-dozen fish-like humanoids with bows and arrows. Warbling in Deep Speech, they began shooting at the party. Their arrows didn't pose much of threat, but these few attackers did not remain few for long. More began to emerge, these with harpoons. And as they continued to shout in their gravely voices, a huge monster rose from the water in front of them. This abomination looked like a cross between a slug and a fish, and dripped with foul-smelling mucus. At its appearance, the attackers began to chant, which Maak Tol recognized as praise to 'the glory of Aboleth!'
Tselem blasted the creatures in the water with chain lightning, using their environment against them. In retaliation, one of the harpoon-armed creatures struck Taumir, pulling him into the water! As he surfaced, another half-dozen creatures surfaced, surrounding him! But Taumir was having none of this - he launched himself back onto the chariot, sending out a blast that blew away almost all of the attackers surrounding him.
Tselem, ever the inventor, cast a portal that opened underneath their attackers and exited to their side. It effectively created rapids beneath them and a firehose in their faces. They were still fish, so it didn't drown or hurt them, but it did slow them down.
Maak Tol, using one of his flying forms, flew down a few feet towards the water to do his part in the fray. Since the slime monster had appeared the whole party had been feeling a certain amount of psychic pressure, and now Maak Tol felt himself falling under its control. Thankfully he was able to throw it off.
More fish creatures surfaced and tried to get to Maak Tol. Tselem used an ice attack that killed them all. More surfaced and began attacking. Azeri burned them all to death. The water was now as thick with corpses (some frozen) as it was with attackers.
Rewards
(Nothing yet, encounter is still on-going)
By their reckoning it was evening on the 21st of Sypheros when they entered the cavern. It was a huge room, so large that even Maak Tol could not see the other side. They could all feel the breezes blowing through, and they could also see, hear, and smell the massive lake filling the chamber. The water was rank, but calm, and lapped gently at the shore only a few feet from where they stood.
The party couldn't see any way through but across the lake, but were wary of what might be lurking beneath it, so they weren't about to swim. So Azeri cast her cloud chariot and they all boarded for the trip across. They skimmed a dozen feet or more above the surface, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of trouble.
And sure enough it wasn't long before they found some. From beneath the dark surface emerged a half-dozen fish-like humanoids with bows and arrows. Warbling in Deep Speech, they began shooting at the party. Their arrows didn't pose much of threat, but these few attackers did not remain few for long. More began to emerge, these with harpoons. And as they continued to shout in their gravely voices, a huge monster rose from the water in front of them. This abomination looked like a cross between a slug and a fish, and dripped with foul-smelling mucus. At its appearance, the attackers began to chant, which Maak Tol recognized as praise to 'the glory of Aboleth!'
Tselem blasted the creatures in the water with chain lightning, using their environment against them. In retaliation, one of the harpoon-armed creatures struck Taumir, pulling him into the water! As he surfaced, another half-dozen creatures surfaced, surrounding him! But Taumir was having none of this - he launched himself back onto the chariot, sending out a blast that blew away almost all of the attackers surrounding him.
Tselem, ever the inventor, cast a portal that opened underneath their attackers and exited to their side. It effectively created rapids beneath them and a firehose in their faces. They were still fish, so it didn't drown or hurt them, but it did slow them down.
Maak Tol, using one of his flying forms, flew down a few feet towards the water to do his part in the fray. Since the slime monster had appeared the whole party had been feeling a certain amount of psychic pressure, and now Maak Tol felt himself falling under its control. Thankfully he was able to throw it off.
More fish creatures surfaced and tried to get to Maak Tol. Tselem used an ice attack that killed them all. More surfaced and began attacking. Azeri burned them all to death. The water was now as thick with corpses (some frozen) as it was with attackers.
Rewards
(Nothing yet, encounter is still on-going)
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Sessions #79 & #80: The Darkness and the Defiance (Parts I & II)
Part I
They had come to Cragwar because of its relative proximity to the Black Pit: a terrible crevice in the earth from which strange creatures emerged from time to time, located in a valley in the Blackcap Mountains. A small and unsavory town of the same name overlooked the pit and they knew this was to be their next stop.
They stayed in Cragwar overnight and departed on the morning of 19 Sypheros, traveling south. As they did, they became aware that they were being followed by two dragonborns and two dwarves. After tolerating this for a few hours, when they stopped for lunch, Taumir and Azeri snuck around behind while Tselem and Maak Tol walked right up to them and demanded to know what they wanted. The dragonborns were apparently working for Baron Mucharsen and the dwarves for Vondal. Both Vondal and Mucharsen felt betrayed by the party's past actions and had sent these minions to do something about it.
But these flunkies were neither zealous nor stupid - they quickly realized their masters' grievances held little merit and in any event they were in no position to take on the Knights of the Thirteen Moon. So after some sharp words the party sent them away and continued on their journey.
Night was falling when the party arrived at the town of Black Pit. The reputation of the town was unsavory enough that they approached slowly, observing it from afar as they got closer. Very quickly they realized that the town of Black Pit was a cesspool of suffering. As far as they could tell there were only two types of inhabitants: evil creatures and their victims. Slaves and sacrifices cowered in cages; poor creatures darted through alleyways, trying to escape. Wicked beings, particularly fey ones, were everywhere.
The party knew they could not sit by and do nothing. They snooped around and discovered that Black Pit was a patchwork of different secret cults, each vying to tap into the evil power of the Pit for themselves and/or their deities. The party decided to try and play these rivalries against one another and start some riots. This plan was remarkably successful - through a combination of misdirection, vandalism, and illusion, the party soon had the various groups thinking the others were out to get them. Before long, violence erupted. The party egged on the various groups, making each think the other was attacking them. Black Pit became engulfed in street battles, and fires broke out in every quarter.
The party retreated to a safe distance and watched with satisfaction the stream of slaves and captives escaping. It was now the wee hours of the morning, and only the flames of the town's destruction lit the pitch black night. The party tried to help direct these refugees to safe harbors, and Tselem was able to teleport a few dozen of them directly back to safety in Cragwar. Many others though fled into the night, their fates unknown.
When the sun finally arose the next morning (20 Sypheros), the town of Black Pit had been completely razed to the ground. The party (having rested after freeing the slaves) now girded their loins and prepared to descend into the actual Black Pit itself. They knew very little about what they were getting into, and despite their fame, power, and wealth, they could not help the fear that gripped them. Steps led down into the Pit itself, and while the party did not hesitate to descended along them, with every footfall they felt a cold fist of despair tightening around each of their hearts.
Part II
They had barely ventured more than a few minutes into the tunnels and caverns when they began to hear skittering and clicks from some sort of animal. Then, swooping into the light and dropping from the ceiling, they came: hook horrors, abominable eagle-like monsters with long serrated claws instead of wings!
The party was initially alarmed, but their fear soon left them. The hook horrors posed little threat individually, and the party dispatched them fairly easily. Taumir and Tselem especially launched devastating attacks that reduced the creatures to nothing but dust. When the short battle ended, their destruction was so complete it was almost as if they hadn't existed at all.
Somewhat encouraged by this, the party ventured deeper into the Underdark.
Rewards
- 10,000 XP each
- (Reminder: we're suspending monetary/treasure rewards for now since your collected net worth is nearly 1 billion GP at this point.)
Monday, January 28, 2019
Sessions #76-78: The Large Green Monster (Parts I - III)
The party then turned to their new young friend. She told them she came from a tiny village somewhere in the extreme western edge of the Towering Wood. She had been abducted from her home by a devil, and the party realized it was probably the one they had fought earlier that day. She had been taken to Gorthol's lair but had managed to escape and now found herself here.
The party debated what to do, and decided to take Stassi back to her village. This wasn't going to be a straightforward task as the sheltered young girl had no real sense of where she was. But they got some general directions from her and set off for the west.
Two days later, around mid-day on 9 Sypheros, the party and Stassi had made their way a significant distance southeast. As they finished their mid-day meal, they heard a great rushing noise, like a hurricane coming towards them. They looked up and saw to their determination and dread that it was Gorthol, bearing down on them! The massive green dragon strafed them from the air, screaming curses at them for the loss of her children.
Tselem, thinking fast, cast Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion and thrust Stassi inside, to keep her safe for at least the next eight hours. The party cast swirling vortexes and burst of fire & lightning, while Gorthol whipped through the air, shoving them about with her fearful powers and blasting them with her poisonous breath. Both sides seemed evenly matched: the party dealt powerful blows, but Gorthol was relentless in her fury.
Gorthol's anger did not give way to cleverness, though, while the party had many tricks up their collective sleeves. Taumir and Tselem alike got very creative with their spells and magical items, very nearly trapping and even decapitating the dragon! Azeri cast her cloud chariot and Maak Tol cast his eagle form, and they met the dragon in the air. This mighty beast, who had kept a realm in her thrall for centuries, began to falter under the deluge of blows.
The party's onslaught forced her to land, and she found herself entangled with magic vines that left her unable to even lift her head. And at last she succumbed! The pillaging beast, the eater of children, who consorted with and ruled the demons and wraiths of the forest, lay dead, half-choked by underbrush.
The party was exultant in their triumph! They harvested the great beast's bones, which meant they finally had all the components needed for their epic ritual! They then entered the mansion themselves for a bit of a rest. (This proved a tad difficult as Gorthol had died on top of the entrance, but they made it work.)
It took another few days of traveling west, but on the evening of 12 Sypheros, they finally located Stassi's village and reunited her with her family! The village was the humblest of hamlets but the party was able to rest and gather a little information.
Tempted by the alleged proximity of now unguarded ancient dragon lair, the party asked Stassi and her people what they knew about it. It was precious little, but it was enough that the party decided to spend a few days searching for it. Alas, it all came to naught - the secrets of its hiding place had probably died with its mistress. So now (18 Sypheros) the party turned their attention to more pressing matters - finding Orisis in the Khyber Underdark and continuing their mission!
Rewards
The party debated what to do, and decided to take Stassi back to her village. This wasn't going to be a straightforward task as the sheltered young girl had no real sense of where she was. But they got some general directions from her and set off for the west.
Two days later, around mid-day on 9 Sypheros, the party and Stassi had made their way a significant distance southeast. As they finished their mid-day meal, they heard a great rushing noise, like a hurricane coming towards them. They looked up and saw to their determination and dread that it was Gorthol, bearing down on them! The massive green dragon strafed them from the air, screaming curses at them for the loss of her children.
Tselem, thinking fast, cast Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion and thrust Stassi inside, to keep her safe for at least the next eight hours. The party cast swirling vortexes and burst of fire & lightning, while Gorthol whipped through the air, shoving them about with her fearful powers and blasting them with her poisonous breath. Both sides seemed evenly matched: the party dealt powerful blows, but Gorthol was relentless in her fury.
Gorthol's anger did not give way to cleverness, though, while the party had many tricks up their collective sleeves. Taumir and Tselem alike got very creative with their spells and magical items, very nearly trapping and even decapitating the dragon! Azeri cast her cloud chariot and Maak Tol cast his eagle form, and they met the dragon in the air. This mighty beast, who had kept a realm in her thrall for centuries, began to falter under the deluge of blows.
The party's onslaught forced her to land, and she found herself entangled with magic vines that left her unable to even lift her head. And at last she succumbed! The pillaging beast, the eater of children, who consorted with and ruled the demons and wraiths of the forest, lay dead, half-choked by underbrush.
The party was exultant in their triumph! They harvested the great beast's bones, which meant they finally had all the components needed for their epic ritual! They then entered the mansion themselves for a bit of a rest. (This proved a tad difficult as Gorthol had died on top of the entrance, but they made it work.)
It took another few days of traveling west, but on the evening of 12 Sypheros, they finally located Stassi's village and reunited her with her family! The village was the humblest of hamlets but the party was able to rest and gather a little information.
Tempted by the alleged proximity of now unguarded ancient dragon lair, the party asked Stassi and her people what they knew about it. It was precious little, but it was enough that the party decided to spend a few days searching for it. Alas, it all came to naught - the secrets of its hiding place had probably died with its mistress. So now (18 Sypheros) the party turned their attention to more pressing matters - finding Orisis in the Khyber Underdark and continuing their mission!
Rewards
- 55,000 XP each!
- You found a Star Opal Ring (Player's Handbook p. 252)
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Sessions 74 & 75: The Children of the Swarm (Parts I & II)
The party was naturally flummoxed to set their target flying away, but they knew it was useless to try and follow, she could fly much faster than any of them could move.
As they started making a plan for what they should do next, they became aware of someone calling for help in the forest off to their right. After a moment of deliberation, they decided to head into the forest to investigate. When they did, they came to a clearing, and found a little girl, probably no more than 12, huddled under a tree. The party asked her name and what was wrong. She said her name was Stassi, and that she had escaped from Gorthol's lair. This fact was underscored seconds later when nine young green dragons, clearly Gorthol's children, crested the ridge behind them. They caught sight of Stassi, yelled, "there's our dinner!" and attacked!
The party lept to Stassi's defense, only to have her leap to her own defense! Well, at least to start. Stassi quickly discovered that while she was an equal match for these foes, the party could deal with them with their eyes closed. The dragons could barely scratch the party's armor, while the party literally could not miss. So after a few attacks, Stassi retreated to a safe point and let the party do their work.
Azeri turned herself invisible, and the party whirled through the midst of the dragons, raining down blows. Taumir's arrows and Tselem's magical forks filled the clearing like a deadly mist. The dragons took to the air, trying to use flying attacks against the party, but more than once found themselves blown completely out of the sky. Maak Tol held back a little, but Azeri did not, repeatedly freezing these foes in place so Tselem could strike them with chained lightning attacks! But perhaps the most dramatic moment of all came when Tselem trapped one of the dragons in an inter-dimensional maze which it just barely escaped, only to be struck down at last!
In short it was a quick, one-sided fight that left the party victorious!
Rewards
As they started making a plan for what they should do next, they became aware of someone calling for help in the forest off to their right. After a moment of deliberation, they decided to head into the forest to investigate. When they did, they came to a clearing, and found a little girl, probably no more than 12, huddled under a tree. The party asked her name and what was wrong. She said her name was Stassi, and that she had escaped from Gorthol's lair. This fact was underscored seconds later when nine young green dragons, clearly Gorthol's children, crested the ridge behind them. They caught sight of Stassi, yelled, "there's our dinner!" and attacked!
The party lept to Stassi's defense, only to have her leap to her own defense! Well, at least to start. Stassi quickly discovered that while she was an equal match for these foes, the party could deal with them with their eyes closed. The dragons could barely scratch the party's armor, while the party literally could not miss. So after a few attacks, Stassi retreated to a safe point and let the party do their work.
Azeri turned herself invisible, and the party whirled through the midst of the dragons, raining down blows. Taumir's arrows and Tselem's magical forks filled the clearing like a deadly mist. The dragons took to the air, trying to use flying attacks against the party, but more than once found themselves blown completely out of the sky. Maak Tol held back a little, but Azeri did not, repeatedly freezing these foes in place so Tselem could strike them with chained lightning attacks! But perhaps the most dramatic moment of all came when Tselem trapped one of the dragons in an inter-dimensional maze which it just barely escaped, only to be struck down at last!
In short it was a quick, one-sided fight that left the party victorious!
Rewards
- 9,000 XP each!
- 35,000 GP total!
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Sessions #72 & 73: The Trap and the Escape (Parts I & II)
Session #72
Gorthol had long ruled the ‘Green Thumb’, a bulb-shaped tract on the far-northern end of the Towering Wood. Over the centuries she had extracted tribute from everyone as lowly as the farmers and foragers to people as mighty as the elves of Shae Loralyndar. She is a territory unto herself that even the druidic government of the Eldeen Reaches has rarely dared challenge. Part of the reason Gorthol has been so successful is that no one has ever seen her lair – she keeps it so well hidden some say it must be in the Feywild itself.
The party was thrilled by this, but also incredibly suspicious. The letter seemed off and they didn't feel confident that it had actually been written by Edge, nor was Maak Tol sure that it was genuinely from Solos. The party also found it quite the incredulous coincidence that these two would have come together out of the blue. But after a short debate they decided that they need to go: if Edge and/or Solos were in danger they weren't about to sit idly by, and the opportunity to get close to Gorthol was too good to pass up.
The party went to the local teleportation station and teleported (for free, because they're famous) to the city of Greenheart, the capital of the Eldeen Reaches. From there they traveled for two days into the Towering Wood, following directions given them in the letter. In the late afternoon of 7 Sypheros, they entered a clearing and there saw Edge and Solos! Their elation was quickly tempered by the realization that these were impostors. These were in fact rakshasas using their illusion magic to disguise themselves as their friends. The party was annoyed, but decided to play along until they could see where this was going to go.
"Edge" and "Solos" led them deeper into the wood. About an hour later they all entered a great field. At the far end of that field the dragon Gorthol lay in repose upon a slight hill. A flock of wyverns capered grimly around her, while a red devil kept watch at her flank. Gorthol herself was an intimidating sight to behold, but she gazed at the party with only bored indifference.
Gorthol explained that she was not interested in fighting dragonslayers, and would like to buy them off. The party hemed and hawed - they needed her bones of course, but had to keep their mission secret. They ended up saying that they just liked the glory of slaying dragons, so did she maybe have some rivals they could take out for her? She lazily mentioned one, and the party was debating what to do next. In their debating though, they decided to cast a cover illusion around them, hiding them from everyone's sight. This turned out to be a tactical error, as it made the devil think they were being double-crossed, and a battle erupted!
Session #73
Maak Tol used his warden powers to give himself eagle's wings and moved lightly over the ground during the battle. The wyverns also used aerial attacks, which Azeri countered by summoning her cloud chariot. Taumir summoned a spectral wolf that stayed by his side and attacked with him! The party let loose with many stunning attacks. The devil in particular was hard-hit: he was knocked to the ground and could not get back up again, and the party rained blows on him until he was gone. Taumir's wolf got in some good hits, but then it was struck and dissipated.
It was not quick and easy battle, but the party did not yield before their foes. The wyverns in particular felt the power of the party's attacks and fell spectacularly. The rakshasas took longer to defeat, but soon the ground had been cleared, and only the party remained.
Now spent from the fight, the party turned nervously to Gorthol. But she simply stood up, made some bored, off-hand remark, and flew away.
Rewards
- 35,000 XP! Time to level up!
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Session #71: The Knights of the 13th Moon
The thugs demanded money and charged at Taumir, Tselem, and Maak Tol, who were still guffawing at the absurdity of this moment. Taumir shot lighting bolts, Tselem blasted them with fire, and within seconds, three of the four thugs lay unconscious on the ground. The party took pity on the last thug and shoved him into a zone of vines Taumir had cast, trapping him and rendering him not a threat. Tselem went and fetched the local police, who came quickly. They apparently recognized the thugs as local frequent troublemakers, and were as astonished as the party that these rabble would try something like this. "Seriously guys," one of the cops asked, "why would you try to take on the Knights of the 13th Moon?"
Tselem, Taumir, and Maak Tol returned to the rendezvous point and returned to the cave. The next morning (2 Sypheros), they decided to make their way to Krona Peak, capital of the Mror Holds and the seat of House Kundarak. They wanted someplace more secure and accessible to stash the hoard, and figured the dwarven house and its vaults would be the best choice. (They'd considered going to Flamekeep, but had not had good luck selling a Rod of Forceful Invocation in Fairhaven a few days before, so decided to go straight to the top.)
So they teleported to Krona Peak, to the House Orien teleportation station. The attendant immediately recognized them and went into full fangirl mode. She led them to the main center of House Kundarak, where the party was again well received and ushered into a VIP lounge. They were given luxurious treatment for the short wait, and then who should appear but none other than Morrikan d'Kundarak, the head of the House himself!
The party explained that they had a large treasure hoard they needed to stash in the vaults, and negotiated with Morrikan for the arrangements, eventually agreeing on an initial setup fee of 100,000 GP and an annual account fee of 100,000 GP. The setup was so that the House could create a semi-permanent portal for them to use to get the treasure into the vault to begin with. After all the agreements were signed, Morrikan said it would take them three days to get it all ready.
The party agreed and then went to go find a dealer to sell the afore-mentioned Rod to. They were able to find better dealers here in Krona Peak than in Fairhaven, and sold it off for a cool 2.1 million gold, netting them 525,000 gold each!
The party then returned to the cave, where they spent the next three days cataloging the hoard. They knew they had hit the mother-lode of course, but were still stunned to realize, at the end of their inventory, that the total value was around one billion gold!! (Not all of it was coin, about half was in items.) They separated out the fragile items and then got the rest of it ready to be transported.
On the morning of 5 Sypheros, they returned to Krona Peak, and then used the same gravity-assisted draining technique to 'drop' the hoard from the cave to the vault. It landed with the loudest and most satisfying crash they had ever heard.
Rewards
Tselem, Taumir, and Maak Tol returned to the rendezvous point and returned to the cave. The next morning (2 Sypheros), they decided to make their way to Krona Peak, capital of the Mror Holds and the seat of House Kundarak. They wanted someplace more secure and accessible to stash the hoard, and figured the dwarven house and its vaults would be the best choice. (They'd considered going to Flamekeep, but had not had good luck selling a Rod of Forceful Invocation in Fairhaven a few days before, so decided to go straight to the top.)
So they teleported to Krona Peak, to the House Orien teleportation station. The attendant immediately recognized them and went into full fangirl mode. She led them to the main center of House Kundarak, where the party was again well received and ushered into a VIP lounge. They were given luxurious treatment for the short wait, and then who should appear but none other than Morrikan d'Kundarak, the head of the House himself!
The party explained that they had a large treasure hoard they needed to stash in the vaults, and negotiated with Morrikan for the arrangements, eventually agreeing on an initial setup fee of 100,000 GP and an annual account fee of 100,000 GP. The setup was so that the House could create a semi-permanent portal for them to use to get the treasure into the vault to begin with. After all the agreements were signed, Morrikan said it would take them three days to get it all ready.
The party agreed and then went to go find a dealer to sell the afore-mentioned Rod to. They were able to find better dealers here in Krona Peak than in Fairhaven, and sold it off for a cool 2.1 million gold, netting them 525,000 gold each!
The party then returned to the cave, where they spent the next three days cataloging the hoard. They knew they had hit the mother-lode of course, but were still stunned to realize, at the end of their inventory, that the total value was around one billion gold!! (Not all of it was coin, about half was in items.) They separated out the fragile items and then got the rest of it ready to be transported.
On the morning of 5 Sypheros, they returned to Krona Peak, and then used the same gravity-assisted draining technique to 'drop' the hoard from the cave to the vault. It landed with the loudest and most satisfying crash they had ever heard.
Rewards
- 625 XP each
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Session #70: The Diamonds in their Eyes
The party did not let Ovisra get up, and continued their relentless assault. Within minutes, the great monster was dead!
The party took a moment to breath and celebrate! Azeri dispersed her magical chariot, Maak Tol turned back into a tiefling, and Tselem let the vortexes and portals he had created fade. Then they went about the business of stripping the corpse. Tselem made an earring out of one of the bones, and Taumir took some of the ribs to make arrows. Azeri and Maak Tol were less inclined to make such trophies and collected what they needed for their divine weapon.
After resting for a bit, the party took stock of their situation. They knew that the dragon's lair, which was sure to contain a massive hoard, was certainly somewhere under the swamp. They weren't sure they felt like mucking around in said swamp, but they didn't want to just leave. Tselem cast Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion and the party went in, and they spent the next several hours thinking of different plans.
Taumir, half-jokingly, suggested they drain the swamp. They all chuckled ... and then Tselem's face lit up. He realized that they could absolutely do that! By casting a magical gate at the bottom the swamp and have the other end come out on top of a linked portal, they could remove a huge portion of the water! Simple calculations of the size of the body of water told them they'd have to get over 225,000 gallons of water out. A linked portal could only be held open for 30 seconds, but they realized that Tselem and Azeri could cast consecutive portals, and that a minute was almost enough time to drain everything!
Delighted with the audacity of this strategy, they plunged ahead: where should send all this water? Someone brought up the idea of sending it to the prison Edge was in, to set him free! They worried for a second this might drown him, only to remember that, as a living construct, Edge doesn't need to breathe! They used scrying magic to find Edge, and discovered he was in prison in Greenheart, in the Eldeen Reaches, and there was a portal near him they could use! The scrying showed them their friend ironically playing the harmonica in his cell. Taumir shouted hello, but Edge couldn't see or hear them, the magic was 'one-way'. He appeared intrigued by the magic window that appeared in his cell but in true Edge fashion, he then shrugged and went back to his harmonica. The party was gladdened to see their friend still in good spirits, and were now even more resolved to spring him.
The next morning (27 Rhaan), they emerged from the Mansion and walked to the edge of the swamp. Maak Tol and Taumir handed over the gold to compensate Tselem & Azeri for the spell components they were going to be using up here, and then stepped back. They started working on their portals, and then, at the exact moment, Tselem cast the gate, and a massive flood of water poured out from the end of the gate into the portal! Maak Tol cheerily tossed in an ale bottle which the night before he'd replaced the liquid contents with a note for Edge. The bottle disappeared into the stream. Through the portals the party could hear surprised and baffled shouts as the flood poured down on the heads of the jailers in Greenheart. As soon as Tselem's portal closed, Azeri opened hers in the same spot, and the flood continued!
Once Azeri's portal closed, Tselem dispersed the gate. A final thousand gallons of water splashed onto the forest floor, and the party turned back to look at the swamp. It had indeed been drained! There was still several feet of water in the lowest section, but what had once been a dark and forbidding cesspool was now a plain, damp pit. (Tselem later estimated that they got about 65% of the total water out.)
The party made their way down the newly exposed mud cliffs to the remaining water below, as they could now clearly see the entrance to the dragon's lair just below the surface! (Maak Tol more fell down, reaching the bottom in a muddy heap.) They dove under the water, and swam a good distanc through an underwater tunnel, breaking the surface of an underground lake within a huge cavern. In the middle of this cavern was an island, and on that island, was a massive, enormous treasure hoard. Two thousand years worth of ill-gotten dragon loot glittered and gleamed before their eyes! Piles of gold a dozen feet high, armor and scrolls and weapons and diamonds and books and trinkets and even mundane items like mirrors, all piled so high and thick they couldn't begin to guess how many there were. It was more treasure than they'd ever be able to spend in a lifetime, and it was all theirs for the taking!!
The party swam to the shore of the island, overwhelmed with how well this was paying off!!
After a few minutes of metaphorically swimming in their pile of money (and Maak Tol carving his name into some things), the party began to think about what they were going to do with all of this. At first they were inclined to just leave it here and come back when their adventures were done, but they decided to take some of it out. They decided they should pay it forward - or back, as the case may be, and give some to the various people who'd gotten wrapped up in their adventures inadvertently. So the next day (28 Rhaan), Azeri teleported the other three to Fairhaven. Tselem took a whole wheelbarrow full of gold to Miri, the professor they'd nearly gotten killed some months back. They also donated a significant sum to the University, not-so-subtly mentioning they wouldn't mind having a building or two named after them. They they spent some of their loot on ale and books, and at a pre-arranged time, Azeri teleported them back to the cave.
The next day (the first day of the month of Sypheros), they repeated this, this time going to Owl's Perch, where Akta and Reita lived. Again, a wheelbarrow of money was exchanged. Akta and Reita were a little apprehensive to see them - their visits were typically harbingers of doom after all. But after Akta and Tselem caught up, and the money was exchanged, all their fears vanished. Reita make them a wonderful home-cooked meal, and that evening they started making their way back to Azeri's pick up point.
As they walked through the streets of this town, a gang of four human thugs stepped out and drew their weapons. The party nearly doubled over with laughter.
The party took a moment to breath and celebrate! Azeri dispersed her magical chariot, Maak Tol turned back into a tiefling, and Tselem let the vortexes and portals he had created fade. Then they went about the business of stripping the corpse. Tselem made an earring out of one of the bones, and Taumir took some of the ribs to make arrows. Azeri and Maak Tol were less inclined to make such trophies and collected what they needed for their divine weapon.
After resting for a bit, the party took stock of their situation. They knew that the dragon's lair, which was sure to contain a massive hoard, was certainly somewhere under the swamp. They weren't sure they felt like mucking around in said swamp, but they didn't want to just leave. Tselem cast Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion and the party went in, and they spent the next several hours thinking of different plans.
Taumir, half-jokingly, suggested they drain the swamp. They all chuckled ... and then Tselem's face lit up. He realized that they could absolutely do that! By casting a magical gate at the bottom the swamp and have the other end come out on top of a linked portal, they could remove a huge portion of the water! Simple calculations of the size of the body of water told them they'd have to get over 225,000 gallons of water out. A linked portal could only be held open for 30 seconds, but they realized that Tselem and Azeri could cast consecutive portals, and that a minute was almost enough time to drain everything!
Delighted with the audacity of this strategy, they plunged ahead: where should send all this water? Someone brought up the idea of sending it to the prison Edge was in, to set him free! They worried for a second this might drown him, only to remember that, as a living construct, Edge doesn't need to breathe! They used scrying magic to find Edge, and discovered he was in prison in Greenheart, in the Eldeen Reaches, and there was a portal near him they could use! The scrying showed them their friend ironically playing the harmonica in his cell. Taumir shouted hello, but Edge couldn't see or hear them, the magic was 'one-way'. He appeared intrigued by the magic window that appeared in his cell but in true Edge fashion, he then shrugged and went back to his harmonica. The party was gladdened to see their friend still in good spirits, and were now even more resolved to spring him.
The next morning (27 Rhaan), they emerged from the Mansion and walked to the edge of the swamp. Maak Tol and Taumir handed over the gold to compensate Tselem & Azeri for the spell components they were going to be using up here, and then stepped back. They started working on their portals, and then, at the exact moment, Tselem cast the gate, and a massive flood of water poured out from the end of the gate into the portal! Maak Tol cheerily tossed in an ale bottle which the night before he'd replaced the liquid contents with a note for Edge. The bottle disappeared into the stream. Through the portals the party could hear surprised and baffled shouts as the flood poured down on the heads of the jailers in Greenheart. As soon as Tselem's portal closed, Azeri opened hers in the same spot, and the flood continued!
Once Azeri's portal closed, Tselem dispersed the gate. A final thousand gallons of water splashed onto the forest floor, and the party turned back to look at the swamp. It had indeed been drained! There was still several feet of water in the lowest section, but what had once been a dark and forbidding cesspool was now a plain, damp pit. (Tselem later estimated that they got about 65% of the total water out.)
The party made their way down the newly exposed mud cliffs to the remaining water below, as they could now clearly see the entrance to the dragon's lair just below the surface! (Maak Tol more fell down, reaching the bottom in a muddy heap.) They dove under the water, and swam a good distanc through an underwater tunnel, breaking the surface of an underground lake within a huge cavern. In the middle of this cavern was an island, and on that island, was a massive, enormous treasure hoard. Two thousand years worth of ill-gotten dragon loot glittered and gleamed before their eyes! Piles of gold a dozen feet high, armor and scrolls and weapons and diamonds and books and trinkets and even mundane items like mirrors, all piled so high and thick they couldn't begin to guess how many there were. It was more treasure than they'd ever be able to spend in a lifetime, and it was all theirs for the taking!!
The party swam to the shore of the island, overwhelmed with how well this was paying off!!
After a few minutes of metaphorically swimming in their pile of money (and Maak Tol carving his name into some things), the party began to think about what they were going to do with all of this. At first they were inclined to just leave it here and come back when their adventures were done, but they decided to take some of it out. They decided they should pay it forward - or back, as the case may be, and give some to the various people who'd gotten wrapped up in their adventures inadvertently. So the next day (28 Rhaan), Azeri teleported the other three to Fairhaven. Tselem took a whole wheelbarrow full of gold to Miri, the professor they'd nearly gotten killed some months back. They also donated a significant sum to the University, not-so-subtly mentioning they wouldn't mind having a building or two named after them. They they spent some of their loot on ale and books, and at a pre-arranged time, Azeri teleported them back to the cave.
The next day (the first day of the month of Sypheros), they repeated this, this time going to Owl's Perch, where Akta and Reita lived. Again, a wheelbarrow of money was exchanged. Akta and Reita were a little apprehensive to see them - their visits were typically harbingers of doom after all. But after Akta and Tselem caught up, and the money was exchanged, all their fears vanished. Reita make them a wonderful home-cooked meal, and that evening they started making their way back to Azeri's pick up point.
As they walked through the streets of this town, a gang of four human thugs stepped out and drew their weapons. The party nearly doubled over with laughter.
Rewards
- 47,000 XP each!
- Well what do you know, there actually was an Iron of Spite in the dragon's hoard! (Player's Handbook p. 249)
- You also found a Rod of Forceful Invocation +6 (Player's Handbook 2 p. 205)
- 35,000 GP each!
- What happens with the rest of the hoard will be determined in the next session.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Session #69: The Culmination of their Efforts
The party emerged from the Mansion on the brisk morning of 26 Rhaan. Even in this tropical clime they could feel a little bite of autumn air. Little light penetrated the gloom of the jungle canopy, and the humid air hung thick and oppressive around them. But they felt confident and rested, and trekked deeper into the jungle.
After only a few moments, they came across an open area with a large pond in the middle. There were some bones scattered along the banks, and the dark, dank water seemed to be hiding something. Tselem scouted to one side, while the rest of the party investigated the other. They feel the presence of the dragon so near.
And then, with a great crest of water, the dragon burst from the pool! Tselem recognized this black wyrm - it was Ovisra, an ancient dragon who's history went back over two millennia. She had a fearsome reputation, and immediately began to live up to it, spraying the party with acid and surrounding herself with a cloud of gloom that made it difficult for them to see her.
The party was caught flat-footed by the appearance of their quarry after so many weeks of searching, and for a moment it seemed the dragon would have the upper hand. But then Tselem cast a vortex that yanked Ovisra out of the water and tossed her to the ground at the edge of the clearing. Seeing this, Azeri wasted no time casting her magical chariot and hovering above Ovisra, pinning her to the earth. The other party members took further advantage, casting spells and using attacks to restrain her further. Taumir used a nest of magical vines, and Maak Tol used his animal forms to sprout wings and join Azeri in the airborne pincer movement.
This combined assault left Ovisra unable to bring her full abilities to bear. She hissed, shot her acid, and raked her claws and tail, but the party's blows fell uninterrupted. Very soon, Ovisra was fighting for her very life! She cast the cloud of gloom over herself once more, but Azeri and Taumir used invisibility powers that stymied her other counter-attacks. Tselem then followed this up with blasts of fire and ice that left Ovisra bellowing with pain and rage!
The party pressed their assault. Now, it was only a matter of time.
Rewards
No XP or GP yet, but all the bragging rights! This is amazing!
After only a few moments, they came across an open area with a large pond in the middle. There were some bones scattered along the banks, and the dark, dank water seemed to be hiding something. Tselem scouted to one side, while the rest of the party investigated the other. They feel the presence of the dragon so near.
And then, with a great crest of water, the dragon burst from the pool! Tselem recognized this black wyrm - it was Ovisra, an ancient dragon who's history went back over two millennia. She had a fearsome reputation, and immediately began to live up to it, spraying the party with acid and surrounding herself with a cloud of gloom that made it difficult for them to see her.
The party was caught flat-footed by the appearance of their quarry after so many weeks of searching, and for a moment it seemed the dragon would have the upper hand. But then Tselem cast a vortex that yanked Ovisra out of the water and tossed her to the ground at the edge of the clearing. Seeing this, Azeri wasted no time casting her magical chariot and hovering above Ovisra, pinning her to the earth. The other party members took further advantage, casting spells and using attacks to restrain her further. Taumir used a nest of magical vines, and Maak Tol used his animal forms to sprout wings and join Azeri in the airborne pincer movement.
This combined assault left Ovisra unable to bring her full abilities to bear. She hissed, shot her acid, and raked her claws and tail, but the party's blows fell uninterrupted. Very soon, Ovisra was fighting for her very life! She cast the cloud of gloom over herself once more, but Azeri and Taumir used invisibility powers that stymied her other counter-attacks. Tselem then followed this up with blasts of fire and ice that left Ovisra bellowing with pain and rage!
The party pressed their assault. Now, it was only a matter of time.
Rewards
No XP or GP yet, but all the bragging rights! This is amazing!
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Sessions #66 - 68: The Death in the Deceit (Parts I - III)
Part I
The party trekked all day through the territory of Clan Watros. They often saw, off in the distance (very far off in the distance) members of said Clan observing them, but they never came close. The fear of them had spread far and wide across the land.
When evening fell, the party was deep in the jungle, and felt they were getting close to the dragon at last, though they were not there yet. They made their camp for the night, and built a fire.
As they were relaxing before turning in, they saw several figures approaching the camp. The figures made no effort to hide themselves, and soon came into the light. It was a group of Eladrin females - one was clearly a warrior, while the others looked like peasants. They all looked very bedraggled and wary. The warrior introduced herself as Evanora, and the other women as Koume, Nyx, Thessaly, Lavina, Keziah, and Thais. They claimed they were fleeing yet another clan dispute far to the northeast (the party was now in the central-western part of the jungle).
The refugees asked if they might share the party's fire for the night. The party let them come and sit, but were suspicious of them. Tselem in particular doubted their story, and they all began to look for ways to find out the real truth.
But before anything could be done, an unseen force began attacking the party. They leapt to the ready, only to have their new guests turn on them! These women were not at all what they seemed - as the fray commenced, all but Evanora transformed into hideous hags with sharp, cruel claws and raspy voices.
Taumir used some of his magic to turn invisible and take up an striker position outside the close, intense contetst. As the party rained blows on these deceitful females, they were surprised to see another form appear, somewhat: a ghostly apparition that was launching itself at them and draining their energy! It was dark and malevolent, but they could hardly see it, and it kept disappearing and reappearing.
One of the hags was able to kick the fire out, snuffing out the only light in this heart of the jungle, but the battle still raged on in the sinister darkness...
Part II
Tselem recast the magical light, centering it on a pine-cone he tossed up in the air, restoring light to the battlefield. The hags began shooting out blasts of necrotic energy, sucking away the party's life force and restoring themselves. But the party was not down and out by any means. Tselem and Azeri let out blasts of powerful energy too, searing and blinding their foes. The dark phantom that had been vexing them was annihilated, and Evanora, Thessaly and Lavina soon fell to these attacks as well.
Part III
The night grew darker, and both sides of the fight grew tired. Koume, Nyx, Keziah, and Thais continued to try to suck the party's life force away, and even succeeded a few times. But the party was not out of tricks yet, and a long battle was finally brought to a close with arrows and several blasts of magical lightning.
The exhausted party then filed into Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion, which Tselem had cast with the door in a tree, to rest out the rest of the night in peace.
Rewards
- 19,500 XP each! Time to level up to 25!
- 55,000 GP total!
Monday, March 26, 2018
Session #65: The Territory of the Vanquished
Their guide bid them farewell, and wished them luck on their travels through the territory of Clan Watros, which began on the other side of the river. Azeri and Maak Tol crossed the river first, with Tselem and Taumir hanging back. This turned out to be a good decision, since as soon as they were on the other side, a warrior of Clan Watros, flanked by several wild hunt hounds, attacked these intruders.
Azeri had had too much fun the night before and was very tired, and her heart wasn't in fighting another territorial dispute, so she hung back. Maak Tol reveled in the fray, and he was quickly joined by Taumir and Tselem. Tselem cast a few spells that seared their new enemies, as well as the riverbank, leaving much of the vegetation dead from acid burns. He then began to swim the river. Taumir stayed on the far bank, launching arrow after deadly arrow.
The protectors of Clan Watros were valiant, but not on the same level as the party. The bank and the river were soon stained red with their blood. After defeating them, the party tossed their bodies into the river. Taumir then leaped the entire way across the river, and the party marched off into the jungle, leaving their Clan Feymight guide supremely over-awed.
Rewards
Azeri had had too much fun the night before and was very tired, and her heart wasn't in fighting another territorial dispute, so she hung back. Maak Tol reveled in the fray, and he was quickly joined by Taumir and Tselem. Tselem cast a few spells that seared their new enemies, as well as the riverbank, leaving much of the vegetation dead from acid burns. He then began to swim the river. Taumir stayed on the far bank, launching arrow after deadly arrow.
The protectors of Clan Watros were valiant, but not on the same level as the party. The bank and the river were soon stained red with their blood. After defeating them, the party tossed their bodies into the river. Taumir then leaped the entire way across the river, and the party marched off into the jungle, leaving their Clan Feymight guide supremely over-awed.
- 16,000 XP each
- 30,000 GP total
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Session #64: The Foolishness of the Factions
As the party moved through the jungle towards their guide's clan (Clan Feymight), the party, with their superior perception, became aware that they were being followed. They debated for a moment whether to tell their guide. When he was informed, he tried to act if nothing was happening, though he asked his new compatriots to describe the hidden Eladrin to him. The party related to him the colors they were wearing and he became agitated - this was Clan Ilzom, he declared, come to ambush them.
The group came to a fork in the jungle path, and the scout seemed unsure of how to proceed. Azeri however was tired of waiting for the ambush to be sprung, and called out to the hidden figures to just go ahead and make their move already! There was a moment of pregnant silence, then some muttered Elven curses, and the attack began!
These warriors of Clan Ilzom did not seem particularly interested in the party's neutrality or non-neutrality, they quickly moved to attack them just as surely as their guide. This turned out to be a grave error on their part, as they were badly, badly outmatched. Taumir used an attack that created lethal plants, and it crushed one of these warriors to death in an instant! Tselem was so impressed by it that he could not help but audibly mock how pathetic their opponents were. The rest of the party were similarly lethal, and in a very short order, the would-be ambushers lay dead. (Maak Tol went through their pockets and looked for lose change, but all he found were some scimitars - see "Rewards" below.)
The Clan Feymight scout stared in shock at the defeated enemies. His earlier arrogance and dismissiveness towards the party was now replaced by a downright sycophantic attitude. He wasted no time leading them the rest of the way to his clan's enclave. En route, Tselem tried to draw out of him why Clan Feymight and Clan Ilzom had been enemies for so long, and was treated to a rambling, semi-coherent mythology that told of some ancient feud. The story so bored him that he couldn't even remember it when it was done.
Arriving at the enclave, the rest of Clan Feymight regarded them with curiosity and suspicion. The scout led them directly to the elders, and told the tale of their victory! After the tale the elders were impressed and accommodating, though not much more welcoming. They granted the party several boons, including food and a place to spend the night. They agreed to lead the party deeper into the jungle, to the edge of their territory and the territory of a clan that was supposed to be near the realm of the dragon. Tselem was able to buy some rituals from them that would have been hard to find otherwise too (see "Rewards" below).
By this time it was evening. The party was treated to a fine meal, and was able to spend some time relaxing. Azeri entertained the clan's children, giving them annoying little trinkets, telling stories and playing pranks. Her fox (who had nipped at the attackers heels during that afternoon's battle) enjoyed running around and playing. Maak Tol was pleased to be surrounded by forest again, and was even able to capture and tame a small spitting drake!
The next morning, they arose early and hiked several hours further into the jungle. Azeri's fox trotted alongside her, while Maak Tol rode mounted on his new drake. Again Tselem tried to get the guide to share more of their history and culture and again tedious stories ensued. Taumir saw trees.
Around noon-day (on 24 Rhaan) they arrived at the edge of Clan Feymight's territory, where a modest river marked the boundary and the beginning of a new unknown.
The group came to a fork in the jungle path, and the scout seemed unsure of how to proceed. Azeri however was tired of waiting for the ambush to be sprung, and called out to the hidden figures to just go ahead and make their move already! There was a moment of pregnant silence, then some muttered Elven curses, and the attack began!
These warriors of Clan Ilzom did not seem particularly interested in the party's neutrality or non-neutrality, they quickly moved to attack them just as surely as their guide. This turned out to be a grave error on their part, as they were badly, badly outmatched. Taumir used an attack that created lethal plants, and it crushed one of these warriors to death in an instant! Tselem was so impressed by it that he could not help but audibly mock how pathetic their opponents were. The rest of the party were similarly lethal, and in a very short order, the would-be ambushers lay dead. (Maak Tol went through their pockets and looked for lose change, but all he found were some scimitars - see "Rewards" below.)
The Clan Feymight scout stared in shock at the defeated enemies. His earlier arrogance and dismissiveness towards the party was now replaced by a downright sycophantic attitude. He wasted no time leading them the rest of the way to his clan's enclave. En route, Tselem tried to draw out of him why Clan Feymight and Clan Ilzom had been enemies for so long, and was treated to a rambling, semi-coherent mythology that told of some ancient feud. The story so bored him that he couldn't even remember it when it was done.
Arriving at the enclave, the rest of Clan Feymight regarded them with curiosity and suspicion. The scout led them directly to the elders, and told the tale of their victory! After the tale the elders were impressed and accommodating, though not much more welcoming. They granted the party several boons, including food and a place to spend the night. They agreed to lead the party deeper into the jungle, to the edge of their territory and the territory of a clan that was supposed to be near the realm of the dragon. Tselem was able to buy some rituals from them that would have been hard to find otherwise too (see "Rewards" below).
By this time it was evening. The party was treated to a fine meal, and was able to spend some time relaxing. Azeri entertained the clan's children, giving them annoying little trinkets, telling stories and playing pranks. Her fox (who had nipped at the attackers heels during that afternoon's battle) enjoyed running around and playing. Maak Tol was pleased to be surrounded by forest again, and was even able to capture and tame a small spitting drake!
The next morning, they arose early and hiked several hours further into the jungle. Azeri's fox trotted alongside her, while Maak Tol rode mounted on his new drake. Again Tselem tried to get the guide to share more of their history and culture and again tedious stories ensued. Taumir saw trees.
Around noon-day (on 24 Rhaan) they arrived at the edge of Clan Feymight's territory, where a modest river marked the boundary and the beginning of a new unknown.
Rewards
- 2,500 XP each
- 2 Magic (+6) Scimitars (heavy blades - see Player's Handbook p. 235)
- (Tselem is able to choose any three rituals scrolls level 20 or lower)
Monday, February 12, 2018
Session #63: The Search for More Foes
The party was still taking stock of their situation when a new threat appeared! Several dusty, dry skeletons shambled out of the darkness at the back of the cave and began to attack them. Evil magic radiated off them, and they tried to combine their powers against the party. But whatever horrors they had once had in store for hapless travelers seemed to have badly decayed, as the party was able to defeat them quickly.
The party decided there wasn't much to do but head back to Newthrone, arriving there in the afternoon of 19 Rhaan. The king was much more pleased than they by the outcome of their battle - he didn't care what the dragon was, he only cared that it was gone. True to his word, he agreed to deescalate the conflict with the Talenta Plains. True to their word, the party agreed to make introductions to Shaena. They drafted a letter and left it with the king.
The next day (20 Rhaan), they went back and looked at their map. After examining it and consulting the palace library, they decided they would travel to Ravar Orioth, also known as the Jungle of Simitars, on the southern edge of Valenar. They knew that this land was inhabited by warring Eladrin clans that they might have to fight their way through, but were confident that this would pose no real trouble. In fact, Azeri and Taumir were optimistic that, as part of elven bloodlines, they might be able to build a repertoire with these clans and help broker some peace.
Tselem disguised himself as an Eladrin and cast Linked Portal, transporting the party to Jal Paeridor, a mid-sized town in central Valenar. From there they took another three day journey south to Pylas Maradal, on the shores of the Kraken Bay. After a hearty lunch, they made their way into the outer edges of the thick, forbidding jungle (it now being 23 Rhaan).
They had scarcely entered the jungle when they encountered an Eladrin sentry. He demanded they leave his clan's territory immediately. The party was unintimidated, and let him know that they were there to slay the dragon that lived deep in the jungle. This caught his attention, as the dragon, though semi-mythical, had long cast a long shadow of fear and death across their lands. He agreed to let them come meet the clan elders and began to lead them deeper into the jungle.
Rewards
The party decided there wasn't much to do but head back to Newthrone, arriving there in the afternoon of 19 Rhaan. The king was much more pleased than they by the outcome of their battle - he didn't care what the dragon was, he only cared that it was gone. True to his word, he agreed to deescalate the conflict with the Talenta Plains. True to their word, the party agreed to make introductions to Shaena. They drafted a letter and left it with the king.
The next day (20 Rhaan), they went back and looked at their map. After examining it and consulting the palace library, they decided they would travel to Ravar Orioth, also known as the Jungle of Simitars, on the southern edge of Valenar. They knew that this land was inhabited by warring Eladrin clans that they might have to fight their way through, but were confident that this would pose no real trouble. In fact, Azeri and Taumir were optimistic that, as part of elven bloodlines, they might be able to build a repertoire with these clans and help broker some peace.
Tselem disguised himself as an Eladrin and cast Linked Portal, transporting the party to Jal Paeridor, a mid-sized town in central Valenar. From there they took another three day journey south to Pylas Maradal, on the shores of the Kraken Bay. After a hearty lunch, they made their way into the outer edges of the thick, forbidding jungle (it now being 23 Rhaan).
They had scarcely entered the jungle when they encountered an Eladrin sentry. He demanded they leave his clan's territory immediately. The party was unintimidated, and let him know that they were there to slay the dragon that lived deep in the jungle. This caught his attention, as the dragon, though semi-mythical, had long cast a long shadow of fear and death across their lands. He agreed to let them come meet the clan elders and began to lead them deeper into the jungle.
Rewards
- 22,500 XP each!
- You found a Cloak of Invisibility +6 (Player's Handbook p. 249)
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Sessions #61 & 62: The Failure in the Success (Parts I & II)
Part I
The party emerged from the Mansion on the morning of 16 Rhaan and headed deeper into the jungle in search of their black dragon quarry. The jungle grew thicker and darker as they went along. Tselem and Azeri also began to notice traces of dark magic, and necrotic magic at that. (Taumir & Maak Tol felt a growing unease, but did not notice the magic themselves.)
The sun was not yet high in the sky but the party was cloaked in gloom when they saw it: the mouth of a great cave. Given everything, they knew this was the lair of the dragon. It was far too dark to see inside, so Tselem tried sending in a magical sensor. They were able to see through his scryglass that there was indeed a dragon inside, sitting on some large glowing white object.
Taumir decided to try sending in an advance attack in the form of one of Hapselmath's alchemical weapons. Unfortunately, he selected a jar of mayonnaise. The dragon seemed more bemused than anything else, and cackled evilly for them to come and face their doom. When they hesitated, they saw him leap from his perch and fly towards them!
As he passed the view of the scryglass and charged down the dark tunnel towards them at the mouth of his cave, the party realized that this dragon was undead. He had no flesh, but was made entirely of bone, and a phylactery glowed dimly in his forehead. As this evil creature bore down upon them, Tselem and Azeri could sense his malevolent magic and realized to their disgust that this horrible beast had done this to himself, had willingly become an abomination.
The dragon landed just short of the mouth of the cave and began shooting dark fire at them. The party was initially hampered by the lack of light, but Tselem set his staff aglow. One of their first attacks knock the beast off his feet, and then Azeri and Maak Tol (using a magical chariot and magical wings respectively) poised themselves above him, pinning him to the ground! The frustrated monster continued to lash out with his claws, teeth, and fire, but the party was able to rain powerful blows on him somewhat with impunity!
Part II
The party kept the dragon pinned even as their supply of spells began to run dry. The dragon did eventually get to his feet, but it turned out his decision to fight in such close quarters was a poor one. The party did not let up, and their perseverance was rewarded. The dragon's phylactery finally shattered, and the evil creature disintegrated into dust.
The party immediately realized that this presented a problem: how could harvest the bones of this creature if its bones had already turned to dust?! Tselem tried halfheartedly to recombine some of the dust, but they all knew it was futile. Even if this dragon in its undead form had been a a black dragon capable of being part of their ultimate weapon, there was no way to use it now.
Tired and disappointed, the party trudged to the back of the cave to investigate what been causing the eerie white glow. To their disgust they found it was a pile of enchanted bones. They were somewhat gladdened to see that light was now fading, as the death of the dracolich seemed to have dissipated whatever evil spell was over them.
Rewards
- 25,500 XP each! Time to level up!
- 14,000 GP total
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Session #60: The Fame and the Fortitude
The exhausted but triumphant party harvested the dragon's remains.
After only a short respite, the party began evaluating their options. They wanted to face a black dragon next, and their map showed several in various parts of the world. After some discussion, they decided to head to Q'barra. Their map showed one in that nation's jungles, and the party wanted to check up on the state of things in that part of the world.
It took them a day's travel, but mid-morning on 6 Rhaan they arrived back at the shore near Illmarrow Castle. The castle and the shore were as gloomy and gray as ever. Thankfully, the boat was still there, and for a pittance they agreed to carry the party back to Port Verge. Another cold and wet journey ensued, landing them there on the 11th of Rhaan.
In Port Verge, Hapselmath took his leave of the party - he was out to find jaunty adventures, not epic battles for the fate of the world! The party bid him a polite farewell and went about the business of buying and selling magical items. They had much still to attend to.
After concluding their business in town, Tselem cast Linked Portal and transported them all to Newthrone, the capital of New Galifar in Q'barra. Upon their arrival, they immediately sought an audience with the king. It was not hard to get one, considering their fame had spread so far and wide. Even just walking down the streets to the palace, people stared and whispered. The party's role in the major world affairs of the last several months had become common knowledge, and their faces well-known, a fact they took great satisfaction in.
The King of New Galifar was not as easily impressed as most people, but the party was still given a relatively quick audience. The party offered the king a bargain - stand down the escalating conflict between his realm and the Talenta Plains, and they will slay the dragon in the jungles in his name The king was very amenable to these terms, but did not feel he was in a position to resist Reidra. The party offered to broker an understanding between the people of the Talenta Plains and New Galifar, revealing their insider influence with the Talenta nomads. The king was surprised, pleased, and agreeable!
Satisfied with the bargain made, the party retired for the evening as guests of the king. Azeri and Tselem took some time to visit the castle's library (which was actually quite small all things considered - New Galifar is after all a nation of refugees).
The next morning, 12 Rhaan, the party departed the comforts of the palace. They traveled for three days in the jungle, following tracks and trails. At night, Tselem would cast Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion, keeping them safe in a luxurious pocket dimension as they slept. Around noon on 15 Rhaan, they emerged from the dense forests onto the edge of cliff. Below them they could see the extinct volcano Haka'torvhak and built into the side of it, the great, ruined Citadel of Haka'torvhak. It was an awe-inspiring sight, the party lingered there for several minutes.
The party then pushed deeper into the jungle. As they marched further south, looking for further signs of the dragon, they were suddenly attacked by two huge thunderhawks! The fearsome beasts strafed them the skies, but the party stood their ground. As they did so, they wondered: why were these creatures attacking them? Azeri remembered reading thunderhawks were territorial - if the party were to run, would they creatures leave them be?
The party decided to go for it, and after a relatively short sprint, the creatures fell back and left the party alone. Azeri and Tselem were relieved that they would not have to destroy such magnificent animals.
By now, night was falling, so Tselem cast the Mansion once again, and the party retired for the day.
Rewards
After only a short respite, the party began evaluating their options. They wanted to face a black dragon next, and their map showed several in various parts of the world. After some discussion, they decided to head to Q'barra. Their map showed one in that nation's jungles, and the party wanted to check up on the state of things in that part of the world.
It took them a day's travel, but mid-morning on 6 Rhaan they arrived back at the shore near Illmarrow Castle. The castle and the shore were as gloomy and gray as ever. Thankfully, the boat was still there, and for a pittance they agreed to carry the party back to Port Verge. Another cold and wet journey ensued, landing them there on the 11th of Rhaan.
In Port Verge, Hapselmath took his leave of the party - he was out to find jaunty adventures, not epic battles for the fate of the world! The party bid him a polite farewell and went about the business of buying and selling magical items. They had much still to attend to.
After concluding their business in town, Tselem cast Linked Portal and transported them all to Newthrone, the capital of New Galifar in Q'barra. Upon their arrival, they immediately sought an audience with the king. It was not hard to get one, considering their fame had spread so far and wide. Even just walking down the streets to the palace, people stared and whispered. The party's role in the major world affairs of the last several months had become common knowledge, and their faces well-known, a fact they took great satisfaction in.
The King of New Galifar was not as easily impressed as most people, but the party was still given a relatively quick audience. The party offered the king a bargain - stand down the escalating conflict between his realm and the Talenta Plains, and they will slay the dragon in the jungles in his name The king was very amenable to these terms, but did not feel he was in a position to resist Reidra. The party offered to broker an understanding between the people of the Talenta Plains and New Galifar, revealing their insider influence with the Talenta nomads. The king was surprised, pleased, and agreeable!
Satisfied with the bargain made, the party retired for the evening as guests of the king. Azeri and Tselem took some time to visit the castle's library (which was actually quite small all things considered - New Galifar is after all a nation of refugees).
The next morning, 12 Rhaan, the party departed the comforts of the palace. They traveled for three days in the jungle, following tracks and trails. At night, Tselem would cast Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion, keeping them safe in a luxurious pocket dimension as they slept. Around noon on 15 Rhaan, they emerged from the dense forests onto the edge of cliff. Below them they could see the extinct volcano Haka'torvhak and built into the side of it, the great, ruined Citadel of Haka'torvhak. It was an awe-inspiring sight, the party lingered there for several minutes.
The party then pushed deeper into the jungle. As they marched further south, looking for further signs of the dragon, they were suddenly attacked by two huge thunderhawks! The fearsome beasts strafed them the skies, but the party stood their ground. As they did so, they wondered: why were these creatures attacking them? Azeri remembered reading thunderhawks were territorial - if the party were to run, would they creatures leave them be?
The party decided to go for it, and after a relatively short sprint, the creatures fell back and left the party alone. Azeri and Tselem were relieved that they would not have to destroy such magnificent animals.
By now, night was falling, so Tselem cast the Mansion once again, and the party retired for the day.
Rewards
- 8,500 XP each
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