Session 21- Final Confrontation With The Master
Day 43 4pm. Agreeing that time is of the essence, the party elects not to rest and recover much needed healing spells in order to find and confront The Master in his lair before any more prisoners can be moved along the kidnap chain. Based on their recollection of the dungeon complex, and the information given to them by Zara the ranger, they locate the last corner of the dungeon they have not yet explored. There are 2 passages not yet searched, one leading to what Zara described as a large creature guarding some treasure, and the other passage which could only lead to Lareth’s inner sanctum. Choosing not to mess with the large creature, the party decides to prepare for the upcoming battle. They cast invisibility on Thantas the assassin, and cast Silence 15’ on a rock which he will hold. He settles into the middle of the marching order hoping somehow he will be able to get off a backstab on an enemy. With the effect of the silence spell, the party can kick in any doors without making noise, and do just that to the first door they come to in the passage leading to Lareth. The party silently observes that through the door. Also, just to the party’s left on the north wall is another door, which is again burst open with a silenced kick. This time the scene reveals enemies however. The party sees a long hallway with a guard positioned right at the open door, and 2 more spaced back down the corridor. With fighting restricted in the corridor not everyone can engage in melee and missile fire is difficult. Mandigor manages to push past the first guard to try to get more combatants in melee, but the party is largely off its game and few good hits get through to the bandits. Eventually some effective melee and Draden dropping a Sleep spell puts down the guards in the hall, and likely a few more in the room beyond, but suddenly an invisible fighter appears at the party's rear and begins attacking the clerics and magic user. Also, a spell caster on Lareth’s crew appears in the hall from the front, and casts a spell of Scare on Malden the Paladin, making him unnerved and unwilling to attack. This is when the silent and invisible Thantas makes his move and approaches the magic user and silently stabs him completely by surprise, slaying him there. Right when the party thinks they may be getting the upper hand, the fighter in the rear drops Rev. Ramsey to death’s door, and finally Lareth, the Master himself finally reveals himself at the end of the hall. Several combatants charge him and one of the clerics hurls a Hold Person spell at him, but a magic phylactery wrapped around his arm seems to absorb the paralyzing magic. He takes some wounds in combat, but charges up his magic Staff of Striking and lays a vicious blow on one of the party. Malden, unable to fight, mustered enough courage to run back to Rev. Ramsey and apply a Lay on Hands before he perishes. Before the party can react again, he drops a magic spell of darkness on the party, but again, Malden, unable to fight, is able to draw his sword with Continual Light cast on it and he is able to cancel out the magical darkness by centering his sword over the place the darkness spell was cast. Finally, as the party is about to mount its last charge the party notices that Zara the ranger is in the rear room at the end of the hall and she has dispatched Lareth’s sergeant and another bandit. Lareth gets a few more hits in on the party, but the weight of blows on him is too great and Lareth, the Master, the ringleader of the kidnappers plaguing the area, is no more. The party searches the rear rooms of Lareth’s area and find 3 prisoners- 2 travelers from Hookhil to the north, and Solomon Stonefist, a dwarf. Immediately, Belgium the cleric is taken by the dwarf, telling about the dwarven stronghold of the same name the party encountered many months ago. This seems to be the henchman Belgium has been looking for, and they decide to travel together back there to see if they perhaps return it to its former glory. Rev. Ramsey is grateful for Malden’s laying of hands, but is in need of a weeks thorough rest due to his trauma. The party finds Lareth’s treasure, many coins and pieces including a very valuable gold necklace with 10 onyx, Lareth’s items, the magic users spellbook and magic bracers, and a fine cloak from the fighter. The passage that sloped up and smelled of fresh air is a passage that leads back to the surface on the back side of the hill with the ruined tower. They also find Lareth’s Journal, which should reveal a lot, should they be able and interested in reading it- next time… end session Day 43 6pm
Session 22- Rest, Recovery, Revelations, and Reunions
Day 43 6pm. The session resumes with the party having just defeated Lareth and his minions. The treasure from Lareth’s inner sanctum has been gathered, along with his journal, and Rev. Ramsey, still recovering from his near death experience, is in need of one weeks rest. Not considering leaving him behind, they decide that convalescing in this dungeon for a week is not safe. They know there is at least one large creature still living here, so they elect to go back to the nearest safe haven- the forest abode of Ramne the old mystic. They are also hopeful that perhaps Ramne’s forest creatures were finally able to get a message to the other companions still in Cedar Crossing, and they can all be reunited at Ramne’s. It takes 3 days of relatively uneventful travel back west, out of the Dim Forest, around Orlane, and back to Ramne. In the evenings as the reverend convalesces, Draden and others begin reading Lareth’s journal and it reveals quite a lot. It is the journal of a young vain evil cleric and his descent into chaotic madness. He talks of discovering the existence of the Slavelords, a powerful group of raiders currently attacking the Wild Coast, Draden’s and Ramsey’s home area. Lareth desires to gain power and join this cabal. He is able to make contact with them via a mysterious individual referred to only as EH. EH brokers an audition for Lareth to the Slavelords; Lareth vows to begin capturing humans in the Orlane area and trafficking them west in the boats of corrupt loggers to Niole Dra, where EH will receive them and complete their journey to the Slavelords. If he can successfully and consistently provide them with fresh humans, he will be made a full member of the Slavelords, enhancing his power. He selected Orlane as his criminal grounds because upon arriving in Orlane, he could tell the town was under the thrall of an evil corrupting presence. He was able the trace the source of the corruption by following the trogolodytes back to the Naga’s lair and negotiating a truce between the 2 evil forces. Both benefit from each other's malfeasance, and are doubly protected should any force of good try to upset either of their evil plans. He further established his kidnapping ring in Orlane by blackmailing the good ranger Zara, a protector of the area. He was able to kidnap her sister and deposit her in the Naga’s lair, using her as a bargaining chip to control Zara. He forced Zara to join his companions- an evil magic user and a fighter, the three inserted themselves in an abandoned farmhouse in Orlane and used it as a base of operations to traffic victims through and out of Orlane and on to Lareth’s main lair in the Dim Forest. In the days resting at Ramne’s and reading Lareth’s journal, a stealth team of Mandigor, Thantas, and Grumush travel back to Orlane to observe and see the state of the village. They spy the roads going in and out, and no longer see the 2 large mobs that were aggressively searching for the party some days ago. Now they still see groups of cultists watching the roads, but also Orlane seems to be largely back to its normal state- sedate but creepy. Upon the stealth teams return to Ramne’s, the party’s companions- Lasalle, Lance, and Phillip the Squire return with the cart of the party’s possessions, and have Father Charleston, The head of the Temple of Heironeous in Cedar Crossing. He is pleased at the efforts of Malden the Paladin, and impresses upon him the importance of ending the Naga’s reign over Orlane. He also entrusts the young paladin with his first big quest. He tells him that should the party be successful in defeating the Naga, he must next travel to Highport, on the Wild Coast in the Pomarj. There is one of the hubs of the Slavelords- a former temple of Heironeous that was lost to chaos and is currently being used as a base for the Slavelords. The evil must be cast out of the former temple/fortress, and only then will he be able to move on to his next stage in paladinhood. Reunited with their cart and full complement of companions, the party elects to travel east along the road to the Rushmoors where Ramne’s weasel will be able to lead them to the Naga’s lair. After 4 days of mostly uneventful travel, the party enters the Rushmoors, and narrowly avoids an encounter with likely a patrol of trogs. Shortly after that they come upon an area dredged and drained somewhat of swamp water. A circle of log palisade reinforced by piles of mud create a dryer area of the swamp upon which is a mound with a visible entrance leading down into the moist earth. The weasel indicates that this is the Naga’s lair. The time span for this session lasts 16 days. End Day 59 4pm.
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