Tolbert the Paladin, Theolis the Ranger, and Bata the Druid where lost in the woods (away from the table) as the adventure commenced and the party was reduced to a Bard, a Wizard and a Warlock.
Acting on the impetus of the dreams of the wise witch Huisak, the party agreed to help her tribe drive a sacred fox off the site of their unfinished crannog so that it could be completed. They crossed to the crannog in the center of a pond and confronted Nguru the Fox. She explained that a giant snake had unlawfully eaten one of her kits and taken over her home. She would leave the crannog site if the snake was made to leave her den. The Party agreed and followed her directions to her former den site, travelling up a stream that fed the pond. Tekka noticed something stalking them in the woods as they looked for the fox den but couldn’t quite make it out, and no one else noticed it so they shrugged it off. Pasco through blind luck stumbled across snake tracks and they followed them to their destination, a small hole in a hillock between two branches of the stream.
Peering from the shadows in the hole were two enormous snake eyes. As they were only three, the party decided that parlay was perhaps the best course of action. Mysterios IX made introductions, and the snake informed them that his name was Slingoon. The wizard questioned why the snake had taken Nguru's den, and Slingoon explained that man-bones had arisen and scared him out of his own lair; he fled to the fox den and in his fear and hunger ate a kit. Slingoon knew it was wrong to eat the fox, as his lawful prey is deer, musk ox, man flesh, and lizard folk. Tekka , with characteristic hot headedness admonished the snake and threatened to bring the Queen's justice which nearly caused a confrontation until Mysterios IX mediated the situation, asking if they could help Slingoon. The snake requested that the party drive the man-bones from his home and in return he would make restitution to Nguru and leave her den. The heroes agreed and followed his directions to the lair.
They trudged through the muck of the Maze Marsh to Slingoon’s lair and arrived as the sun was setting. The snake’s lair was an ancient Club tomb, and in the twilight they could see a ghostly female form brooding at the entrance. Mysterios IX decided that invading a decrepit tomb full of man-bones and guarded by some spirit was probably better done in the morning and suggested they retrace their steps and spend the night at the fox den. The rest of the party agreed and they made camp with Slingoon. As they warily rested, Slingoon could be heard quietly weeping. The snake refused Tekka’s inquiries, but when Mysterios IX sought to comfort him he opened up to the wizard, revealing that he was afraid, ashamed, and hungry. Mysterios IX convinced him to redeem himself by joining them in driving the man-bones from his home, and the next morning the party set off with a new giant snake ally.
When they again approached the tomb, the apparition was still haunting the entrance. Slingoon revealed that he knew of another way in and the party followed the snake. As they came near to the structure, the figure in the entrance retreated into the darkness of the tomb and zombies emerged from the swamp. Facing foul peat preserved bog zombies with questionable intentions the hero’s sprang to action. Pasco drew the Sword of the Night Mother and summoned the ghost of the Priestess that dwells within. Tekka and Mysterios IX assumed their normal fighting withdraw, putting space between themselves and their foes and filling that space with magic missiles, firebolts, and eldritch blasts. Slingoon proved to be a valuable ally, fighting alongside Pasco in the melee and biting several zombies in half. More swamp zombies emerged near Tekka and Mysterios IX position, but they too were blown to nasty little bits.
After the battle, Slingoon was emboldened. I can bite these man-bones! and he triumphantly led the party straight into the main entrance. Once inside, he curled around the crumbling pillar that he was accustomed to, and sighed contentedly. Just as the party was about to convince him to continue with the job, Bata came wandering out of the woods accompanied by a Finch that had fallen in love with him. Trusting in the might of the Druids shillelagh the hero’s explored the tomb. Immediately they confronted and destroyed a Wight that had wandered up from below. Peering down the stairs from whence the Wight came, they could hear metal shod footsteps. Bata decided to send his new found finch paramour to draw out whatever was lurking in the darkness, and the party arrayed themselves to ambush whoever might come calling. The finch did not return, but another Wight came charging up the stairs, the heroes plan worked and the Wight was sent back to its resting place. After defeating the undead Club warrior, they could hear the finch calling for help and as they moved forward they found themselves in a crypt with two more Wights, one of which was biting the head off the bird. The party followed an outraged Bata into battle and smote the undead to ruin.
 |
| check out this guys amazing art: https://www.artstation.com/artist/edwarddelandre |
At the top of the stairs was a magically locked door with the impression of a mace in its stone face. In the crypt where four sarcophagi, three of which were open and one that was still sealed. Mysterios IX cast Detect Magic and learned that the closed coffin contained magic. After some debate, all four of them lifted the lid and were exposed to poison gas. Pasco and Mysterios IX suffered blistering burns, but a mace was found in the sarcophagus. The party decided a rest was in order, and convinced Slingoon to watch the door while they took a break to recover from their exertions and wounds.
Figuring they could come back to the magic door later, they proceeded to explore the tomb. The crypt had one door that opened to a stairwell. They descended and came to a long hall, bones were strewn about the stone floor which was scarred from some type of impact, and a gaping pit blocked the far side of the corridor. Suspecting traps, Bata cast Spider Climb and skittered up the walls and onto the ceiling only to accidentally trigger a swinging blade trap. He did notice an arrow slit in the wall as he extricated himself from the blades, but there seemed to be no way to access the slit without risking exposure to the trap. Mysterios IX sent his hawk familiar to fly by the slit and investigate, and the hawk revealed a archery target on the other side. Tekka then used her familiar Dustbelly to move in front of the slit while avoiding the blades, and she then used her magical connection with the Sprite to see through his eyes and direct a mage hand to activate the target and stop the trap.
Once past the blade trap the party confronted the open pit. Two pressure plates were on either side of it and the bottom could not be seen. Bata Spider Climbed to the other side and stood on a plate while Pasco stood on the other. Stone doors swung from below to close the pit and provide passage across. Everyone crossed but Pasco who was standing on the plate. He then activated his Ring of Jumping and made a mighty leap across the pit, which opened up again when he left the plate.
They passed through the door at the end of the trap filled hallway into a tight spiral stairway leading further down. With only enough room to travel single file around the blind turns, Bata led the way and quickly bumped into another Wight. This ancient Club warrior drained life from the Druid, but Bata was sustained by a Heroism spell cast by Pasco who was directly behind him. With the help of unerring Magic Missiles from Mysterios IX, and the clever use of Dustbelly’s eyes to deliver a Hex spell by Tekka, the Wight was defeated.
Emboldened and full of élan from the Heroism spell and an enjoyable afternoon of Wight bashing, Bata rushed forward and threw open the door at the bottom of the stairs. On the other side was a large pillared burial chamber, with an ornate sarcophagus on a raised dais in the center of the room. Floating above the sarcophagus was the female apparition they had seen near the tomb entrance. She slowly turned in the air to face the heroes, who prepared to face her as we called it a night…
 |
| https://www.artstation.com/artist/edwarddelandre |
No comments:
Post a Comment