Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Jocylina’s Party at the Carowyn Manor

  • Characters: Alrak, Barl Bloodbones, Belton Stoutshield, Crulamin, Domollo Blue, Zaos
  • NPCs: Eshtani Doctry, Tae Soldado, Daeanaria, Ruan, Jocylina
  • Synopsis: The spread of the disease Bloodveil creeps across the adventurers as the deep dwarf Barl Bloodbones succumbs to its depths. Arriving at the Temple of Torm, the group is granted audience with Eshtani who struggles with the dangerous outbreak. After healing Barl, Eshtani is slightly reprieved when the group offers to extend themselves on Eshtani’s behalf. The follower of Torm redirects the adventurers back to the Soldado homestead. Their success in healing the young Brianna reverberated throughout the community and a friend of the Soldado’s comes forward with an urgent request. Daeanaria reports that her brother Ruan is missing. Being a harpist, he was hired by the monied and elite House Carowyn to perform at a galla event two nights prior, but has not returned. She went to the house to investigate herself, but it was boarded up and shuttered. Since the Bloodveil outbreak, she fears contracting the disease but cries for her brother’s whereabouts. Accepting the grieving sister’s request, the group leaves for the Carowyn manor finding it in the exact condition Daeanaria descriped. Domollo and Barl make quick work of the fancy lock and push into the foyer. There they stumble onto a grotesque sight as undead dressed in fancy outfits are paired up on a dance floor, flittering about to unheard music. As inevitable combat erupts, cackling laughter comes from beyond the dance floor. The source is a femal elf, marred with bizarre make-up and dressed in a ball gown, its garish colors clashing. Announcing their entrance, the elf welcomes the party-goers to “Jocylina’s Party” and instructs the zombies to attack. The group plugs up the foyer while battling the undead, only to be the intended recipients of Jocylina’s attacks from afar. In the adjacent lounge more zombies linger, latent in there lack of response to the melee. Arlak is able to break through, tracing the hysterical elf upstairs where he finds more zombies in the gallery. Presenting his newly acquired holy symbol, the dwarf banishes them, sending them scurrying through the balcony windows and crashing to the streets below. A series of unfortunate events plagues the party as Jocylina douses Barl with alchemists’ fire. His return shot with the crossbow errantly fires into Belton’s back, crippling the wizard. Zaos and Crulamin continue decimating the horde as bodies continue to pile up on the dance floor, as the lounging zombies join the soiree. Barl gathers his wits and turns invisible, beginning his hunt along with Domollo Blue for the laughing elf. The two find her in the sitting room only to have her escape again. The crazed hostess is dancing throughout the manor, reeking havoc on her uninvited guests. Another batch of zombies arrives from the dinning room, only adding the great wall of zombies that the party is constructing. But the groups health dwindles even as their foes numbers do in turn. Barl and Domollo track Jocylina to the servants’ entry, rushing her position in an attempt to end this evil play. As she goes to retreat, Domollo swings, violently missing. But the still invisible Barl Bloodbones strike is as true as the Underdark is lightless. Bring his dwarven battle axe down on Jocylina, Barl drives the blow deep into the elf’s torso, sending her body violently in two opposed directions. Clan Bloodbones has earned its name once again as what remains of the hostess is all but red grafitti splattered across the wall. Domollo Blue is stunned at the massive display of brawn but redirects his ally to the zombie battle behind them. Reuniting the party and flanking the undead, the two join the rest and dismember the remaining “guests”. Now all they have to figure out is which head belongs to Ruan the Harpist.
  • Encounters: six zombie dancers, three zombie loungers, three zombie art critics, four zombie diners, and Jocylina
  • Achievements: discovered the horrific aftermath of an murdered party, destroyed most of the undead of the Carowyn manor, and split the responsible elven witch in two pieces.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Mask’s Assault on Assam – The North Coffin

  • Characters: Bixtbie, Cromwell, Forkbeard, V.L, Wicasa, X-Requinn, Zaytheon
  • NPCs: None
  • Synopsis: After defeating the astral demonoids, the group investigates the mysterious coffin, only to trigger a planar shift that steals Rog and Dak into the coffin itself. Unable to extricate their comrades, the group signals to them to hold tight through hand gestures and written words. Cat-calls from the city guard find the ears of the party triggering a decisive glare from Wicasa and a call to arms by X-Requinn. During the interaction, the follower of Mystra spots another ally Zaytheon approaching the city. The warrior has joined the battle just in time as X-Requinn summons a mount for Zaytheon and the two rendezvous with the group. But the delay in action is too long for Sentalial who summons his mount and gallops off towards the north. The party chases after the paladin only to quickly lag behind the charging Sentalial. After the separation, the group realizes they have lost another of their number as Jebeddo has disappeared. The wailing of Assam’s citizens rings throughout the city’s exterior; time is collapsing on the adventurers. They make the decision to gather their remaining resources and destroy the occupant or occupants of the north coffin. Bixtbie cracks the black stone lid with a borrowed wand of knocking and steps back from the unknown. As with the first coffin an obscuring darkness envelops the group’s surroundings, capturing them in a pitch black blanket. Only Cromwell and Wicasa can see their attackers as five earthen humanoids emerge from their crypt. The surrounding party is at an immediate disadvantage, unable to see their enemy. X-Requinn summons Mystra’s aid and banishes the darkness. The battle’s scales shift towards the center, but not in time to balance the combat. The undead stone humanoids emit a cloud of dust that collect on Forkbeard. Grimacing in pain, the dwarf succumbs to the magic effects, turning to stone. Wicasa rescues the statue from oblivion by shifting the plane of shadow while grappling the petrified Stone Lord. Zaytheon delivers a crushing blow, but the trade-off is devastating as his plate mail armor desintigrates, falling to pieces at his feet. But strike acts as the balance shift in balance towards the adventurers. In rapid succession, the five undead invaders are destroyed. The assault on Assam is only half-way repelled.
  • Encounters: five dust wights
  • Achievements: defeated the attackers from the north coffin.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

The Great Ball of Lightning, Part III – Assault on Assam

  • Characters: Bixtbie, Cromwell, Dak, Forkbeard, Jebeddo, Rog, Sentalial, V.L, Wicasa, X-Requinn
  • NPCs: Julbin, Quint, Uljary Blackshore
  • Synopsis: Erupting from the source, the ball of lightning breaks free from the ruins and collects in the sky. But it has ceased to be anchored to the Giant’s Plain and begins moving over the Giant’s Run Mountains. Quint assesses the path and determines that the target destination is the city of Assam. The party decides to seek reinforcements from Treshold and return to the small town. After hearing of their tales and the coincidental connection to Assam, several of the Defenders of the Dragon Coast join the group to continue the investigation. Traveling to Assam is a simple spell as the enlarged group appears in the midst of chaos. Outside of the city walls, merchants and city folk are in sheer agony and panic. With an unseen possession or some type of horrific curse, the affected begin collapsing or running in random directions. The Assam Captain of the Guard Uljary Blackshore intercepts the group with three of her captains in-command, investigating their strange appearance of the party. As the interview turns confrontational the welcoming committee sets up a barrier fire wall and retreats to the city. Jebeddo and X-Requinn combine to allow the party to fly invisibly over the city where they find mysterious stone coffins, one bordering on the outside of each city wall in all four directions. Without a doubt the focus of the disturbance emminates from these coffins. Choosing the east wall coffin, Dak cracks it up and is inundated with obscuring mist. Hidden darts target the group, but the attackers are nowhere to be seen. As the adventurers spread out, Dak draws the ire of one of their invisible assailants. Now visible to everyone, the group pounces on the muscular humanoid with leathery black skin and massive claws. After surrounding the newly found foe, another appears in a flanking position and drops Wicassa Wakan. The group works together to support and flank their opponents as yet a third demonic creature appears. Battling against the injured, the initial two beasts are destroyed, and the third is killed after attempting to flee. Before any inspection can be made the corpses vaporize in a cloud a blackened dust and smoke. It bodes poorly for the adventurers that there are still three coffins left surrounding Assam.
  • Encounters: Assam’s captain of the guard, three astral stalkers
  • Achievements: followed the ball of lightning to the city of Assam, discovered a city under attack by an unseen curse, and defeated the occupants of one of the offending coffins.