Welcome to yet another installment of my paltry campaign. I hope my USAian readers are busily digesting yesterday's feasts and didn't get into too many arguments with relatives...
Who's here?
- Jax- Barbarian
- Slick – Thief
- Orzu – Illusionist
- Rondel – Elf
So, to start, we were down a couple of players, plus Rondel's player was late due to a work commitment. And Slick's player needed to make it a short night due to a family commitment. OK. So this is where things need to be flexible. First of all, we had previously planned on a break-in/heist, which needed spell resources from Rondel and Henry C. Plus we don't want to cheat someone from some potential fun. And I wasn't going to just sit and kibbitz for an hour. What's in my bag?
Well, I had a cavern map that I'd scribbled some stuff on. But not the one I was thinking of. Did I write different scenarios on multiple printouts of the same map? Wouldn't be the first time. Nevermind. I can remember enough to fill some time.
So Petre Gagua shows up at the tavern, concerned about a finding that he hadn't been able to get the Council's ear on. So the three party members saddled up and followed the captain out into the countryside. Sure enough, a settlement had been razed, and signs of murder and/or abduction. Always wholesome. Tracking drag-marks and prints, the group caught up with a trio of unsavory characters dragging a body. Stabbing occurred, and it was determined that they weren't undead, just very unpleasant. The trio wore tattered robes with rough markings of Khador painted on them. Orzu ripped open the robes, but nothing significant was found. Oh, and they had filed-down teeth. This wasn't looking promising.
Following more track, they found a cavern. Slick heard chanting, and rappelled down a steep shaft, finding compatriots to the original three chanting to a rough-hewn idol to Khador, as well as snacking on someone's leg. Lovely.
Returning to the party, all charged down the main passageway, overwhelming a pair of guards before they were able to defend themselves or alert their comrades. Orzu returned back to the shaft, casting down an illusory failed adventurer as a distraction. Successful with this ruse, the party was able to do some more shanking and retrieve some minor goodies. Upon closer inspection, the idol appeared to be a hybrid of the old and new versions of Khador. Unhinged, either way.
With this, Faith Perpetual began its messaging to Jax. More unpleasantness was afoot... Suddenly, her feet weren't really her own, and off they went, deeper into the cavern, to confront... whatever. Standing on an isle in a pond was a figure, chanting among more deformed statues to Khador. Jax slogged through the pond, striking at the figure, but missing. Goober joined in, and got a serious singeing from the being's strike. Fortunately, Slick and Petre were able to join, and the being was gang-tackled to death. Or additional death, perhaps. Orzu, wielding a dagger, cut the thing's robes off, revealing a slightly glowing object in its chest. Yes, this was the thing. Jax cleaved it open, revealing...
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| source |
A card-deck sized shard of comet that had somehow been animating this aged priest of Khador in a parody of life and faith. But success, more element for the lenses!
Back to town, and everyone rested. Goober got healed. The artificer's workshop was scouted, and found to still be heavily guarded. Favor for favor, and Petre said he'd find a couple of boys to create a distraction at the appropriate time. By now, Rondel returned from whatever elf business he was on...
Sane Ammer was contacted and guided the group into the sewers toward the target building. Be careful – the water around here has gotten poisoned.
Finding a grate under the artificer's lab, Slick went to work on opening it.
Someone noticed that Sane was gone. And there was a roiling in the water. Damnit. We lose more help that way. Two thick, serpent-like beasts with mismatched heads and limbs erupted from the water. “Chimera!” yelled Jax. And it was on. The PCs hacked into the leathery bodies, as Goober got ahold of one of the monsters, slowing it. Orzu blinded one, allowing its easy defeat, and the other soon fell.
These threats down, it was time to infiltrate. Rondel and Henry cast invisibility and silence (15' radius both) on the group and they entered the cellar stores of the workshop. Which is good, as so much crap and spare parts was stored there that quietly passing would have been nigh-impossible. Slick ascended stairs to the ground floor, and neglected to check for traps. A buzzsaw trap gave him a very close shave... Better check the other doors...
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| "kneel before God..." |
Around now, some commotion was heard in the street, perhaps a runaway wagon...
Up the stairs to the workshop. The PCs, under their stealth spells, rifled through the workshop, finding an unusual furnace, fragments of lenses, and marked-up plan sheets for lenses. Rondel paused to cast locate object, seeking another fragment of comet. It manifested on the floor above. As he was rolling up some plan sheets with diagrams, steps were heard on the stairs. Rondel forgot that casting a spell undid his invisibility. Oops.
The artificer fled upstairs, with Rondel and Slick behind. They found him strapping into an exoskeleton. Rondel took an armored fist to the face. The PCs traded blows with the armor until it failed. Dragging out the artificer, they asked if he was there under his own will. And received back a screed of zealotry. Ok then. STAB. Cutting open his tunic, a large tumor was found on his shoulder... An eye opened from it, rolling around and taking in the PCs. STAB, AGAIN.
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| IYKYK |
The PCs fled with another chunk of comet shard, some spare parts of a 'star-furnace' used to craft lenses, some ruby dust, and “something cool” (That the DM needs to come up with...)
DM Notes:
The next session will likely begin with a chase scene. We'll see. I can't recall if the lab got set on fire or not. Whatever is more dramatic to begin the next session.
Funny thing. I found the aforementioned cavern map tucked into my prep notebook the following day. I had remembered some elements, but forgot others. Not bad for just winging it. But also a lesson for both having enough surplus lore and material for session flexibility. As well as being able to find it...
Time constraints limited the depth of exploration that I would have liked to practice, but I wanted to end at a clean break. Now will the PCs make a clean break, as well?
Heh, Orzu's player made a reveal this session. At session start, he rolls d100 to determine how unhinged Orzu will be that session. We got a 97 tonight. Lots of corpse defiling went on.
Now that we have some comet bits, we'll have to see how much they have recovered, plus how much of other resources are needed. Not to mention magic powerful enough to energize the network.
Oh, and of course the baddies haven't been idle...
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