Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 043

Game summary for January 30, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Broken Moon adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human oracle), Emilian Sandulescu (human paladin/ranger), and Tigris Inebriavi (elf magus), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric).

The team exited the tower, and Emilian tripped causing a noise to bring the attention of the cultists in town square.  A dozen skeletons and two curates assaulted the party.  The skeletons were mostly ineffective, but they allowed the curates time to launch numerous spells and channel negative energy.  The party was able to quickly take them down and move to the inn to speak with Ulcris Sedmir’s spirit.  The ghost pulled memories from the severed head of Auren Vrood and gave visions to the party.

The visions open with a furiously darting ink quill that dashes out of a stream of words reading, “My Master, I shall stay in Feldgrau and build an army of corpses for our risen lord…” The sentence fades, and after a brief flash, hands place the letter in an envelope and strike it with a wax seal. Another flash comes and the scene changes. The PCs see cultists scurrying around in the town square, exhuming bodies and raising an army from the corpses of Feldgrau’s dead. After another flash, Vrood’s hands place three strange items into a chest—an iron-and-glass vial containing a swirling gray mist, a bloody heart inside a glass bottle, and a fragile skull composed of hundreds of bone fragments. Into a second chest he places a strange statuette of murky green stone depicting a grotesque, tentacled creature. Another flash.  The chests are given to two riders in dark cloaks on pale horses. “Ride to Thrushmoor,” the PCs hear Vrood’s voice speak. “Our agent will exchange the Effigy for the relic we need.” After a final flash, the visions fade.

Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 042

Game summary for January 23, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Broken Moon adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human oracle), Emilian Sandulescu (human paladin/ranger), and Tigris Inebriavi (elf magus), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric).

The team sneaked over to the tower entrance and found it barred from the inside.  Unable to get in, they used the marvelous pigments to create a slim piece of metal with which to raise the bar through the crack in the door.  They moved in and heading through a curtain on the left.  On the other side stood Auren Vrood along with his homunculus and two giant crawling hands!

The team started to advance, and Vrood cast waves of fatigue to tire out the party.  Emelian engaged one of the rotting hands and found it sprayed vile pus when injured.  Tigris hit Vrood and company with a fireball.  Vrood fought back with a circle of death, which failed to eliminate anyone.  Soon, Emelian was grappled by one of the hands, and Vrood obscured the hallway with a cloudkill spell that he sent drifting along.  The poison harmed several of the party.  Dario made it through and found Vrood protected by stoneskin.

Tigris and Nyssa imbibed antitoxins while Emelian wrestled with a grappling crawling hand.  Tigris cut down one of the creatures and tried to get through the cloudkill.  Dario was hit by a ray of enervation and weakened even more.  Tigris killed one of the crawling hands as Dario and Emilian moved in to pressure the caster.  He tried ghoul touch unsuccessfully, but he devastated Dario with a vampiric touch. Auren nearly turned the tables on the party when his eyebite drove Tigris reeling and crying in the corner.  The stoneskin wore off, and Dario and Emelian hurt Vrood badly.  He cast greater invisibility and sought escape, but the keen ears of Emelian picked him up, and the paladin decapitated the necromancer!  Tigris then surged forward and killed the other crawling hand.  The victorious team snatched up Vrood’s notes and looked around to see what they could learn.

Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 041

Game summary for January 16, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Broken Moon adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human oracle), Emilian Sandulescu (human paladin/ranger), and Tigris Inebriavi (elf magus), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric).

After being critically injured, the team slinked into the inn and hid out for several hours to cast curative spells and rest again.  Under the cover of darkness, the group moved from building to building and darted into the armory where they found themselves face-to-face with five wights!

The vicious undead swarmed in and surrounded the team but were blasted by the holy might of Erastil channeled by Emilian!  The team soon discovered the leader of the wights, a fast moving female, was extremely dangerous.  Her movements reminded them of the fighting style of their fallen ally, Caerwen.  Her combination of monk training and undeath were a frightful prospect.

The team launched a barrage of spells to enhance their abilities while the monks attacked their foes.  Tigris was hit by the monk wight and weakened in his abilities.  She continued to chase him around the room inflicting numerous energy drains.  Emilian channeled more positive energy while Dario attacked with his blade.  Soon, the wights were defeated.

A search of the room yielded some marvelous pigments and an urn filled with a stinky fluid and a quarter of a heart.  The group debated some and then burned the heart using a torch!

Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 040

Game summary for January 9, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Broken Moon adventure; PCs included Caerwen (elf monk), Dario Malavasi (human oracle), and Tigris Inebriavi (elf magus), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric).

Nyssa moved to heal the unconscious Dario as Tigris slipped in from outside.  They could hear footsteps on the floor above, so the team surged up the ladder and found two more Demon Wolf marauders and an armored and horned werewolf!  Caerwen charged in to attack one and found it just as resistant to his attacks.  Dario struggled to damage the creatures, and Tigris unleashed a lightning bolt across two enemies.  The werewolves began smiting the party but found Tigris immune.  Caerwen and Dario were not so fortunate.

Tigris dropped back and cast defensive shock upon himself which proved fortuitous over time.  Dario was grievously injured and forced to retreat where he cast shield of faith and divine power.  Nyssa cast healing spells upon him at the same time.  Meanwhile, Tigris and Caerwen tried to hold the line, but a particularly well-placed blow struck Caerwen dead where he stood!  Tigris cast shield upon himself and continued the battle.  Dario surged back into the fray and engaged the foes while Tigris killed one, and another died in his defensive shock ward.  Tigris was struck down and unconscious, but Dario was able to land a perfect strike to drop the leader of the werewolves!

Harm Incorporated – Ruins of Undermountain – Game Session – 003

Game summary for January 3, 2014, Ruins of Undermountain campaign; PCs included Boran Gibbs (human cleric), Kalil Bakran (human sorcerer), Paddy Brandywine (halfling bard [archaeologist]), and Rumbald Shieldcracker (dwarf ranger [dungeon rover]).

The Harm Inc. team entered another section of Undermountain and encountered a small pack of goblins led by a goblin snake shaman!  The singing creatures attacked with their dogslicers and torches!  The goblin snake hit Rumbald with a ray of enfeeblement, but Kalil countered it with a bull’s strength.  Boran quickly blessed the party and switched to his shortbow to better fight in the cramped hallways.  The goblins were fighting on two fronts, and the party broke through one side and swarmed the creatures from both directions.  They then discovered two smaller chambers.

Paddy accidentally triggered a fireball trap on one of the doors but found a small fortune in the room behind.  The second door proved untrapped, but the small tomb contained two cairn wights and some purple mold!  Boran channeled positive energy and moved in to engage.  He quickly learned the undead could drain life energy through their razor blades.  The team swarmed into the cramped quarters and took out the wights but found themselves woozy from the purple mold spores.  They quickly ran out and tossed alchemist’s fire within to clear the room.  They found some treasure in a stone box including a wand that could restore the effects of the wights’ negative energy.

The group went through another door and found a room with two dungeonbred manticores guarding a chest swinging from a chain on the ceiling.  The manticores hurled spikes at the party and fought viciously, but the team setup a number of flanks and took them down quickly.  They then sent Paddy up a rope where he unlocked the chest and took all the treasure within.

Behind another door, the team found a horrific sight!  A massive ogre zombie lord stood swinging an enormous hammer!  Even worse, his body swarmed with thousands of wasps!  Rumbald advanced and was beaten mercilessly.  Boran followed as well and was knocked unconscious by the creature’s hammer.  Paddy used his wand of magic missile, and Kalil used his lightning bolt.  Soon, the undead monster was destroyed, but this only unleashed the entire swarm of wasps!  Fortunately, Kalil’s lightning bolts eliminated them.  The team then discovered a belt of giant strength in the remnants of the corpse, and Rumbald put it on to enhance his physical prowess.

Next the group went down a hallway, and Rumbald went flying through the air and slammed into some magnetized ore!  His allies pried him loose and slipped through a door.  On the other side, they found an enormous heap of gleaming treasure!  Three of the team entered the room while Boran debated his options for passing by the giant magnet.  In the room, a young black dragon revealed itself and breathed acid all over the party!  Paddy dodged it with his evasion, and the team tore into the dragon.  Boran ripped a door from its hinges and used it as a shield to interfere with the magnetic pull.  He slipped in just as the dragon’s fangs and claws shredded Rumbald’s flesh.  Kalil hit it with a scorching ray, and Paddy sliced it with his magical sword Frostburn.  Rumbald stepped up and shield bashed the dragon to death!  The team then collected its small fortune in treasure!

Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 039

Game summary for January 2, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Broken Moon adventure; PCs included Caerwen (elf monk), Dario Malavasi (human oracle), and Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric).

The team darted into an old tavern and were followed in by a pair of Menadoran festrogs and a Whispering Way curate!  The festrogs tore into the group, even ripping flesh from Caerwen to heal its own injuries.  The team put pressure upon the massive undead, however.  The curate fell back under pressure from Dario but desecrated the area!  She then channeled negative energy not once, not twice, not three times, but four times!  The unholy power continued to rip through the party dealing horrific wounds, but the festrogs kept the party back away from her.  Finally, the festrogs went down, and Gnok slammed into her with a grapple.  She channeled a fifth time, which nearly killed the entire group.  With only tatters of their life forces remaining, the team finally killed her.  Almost dead, they hid the bodies and made a makeshift camp on the upper floor.

Early pre-dawn, Gnok crept out on a scouting mission to see the best route to the tower supposedly occupied by Auren Vrood.  He decided going from building to building through town would give the best cover.  They slipped into an inn and met the spirit of Ulcris Sedmir, the dead innkeeper who blames himself for the Feldgrau massacre.  Dario made friends with the ghost and learned the spirit could rip the memories out of Auren Vrood’s head after his death to tell them why the necromancer is here in Feldgrau.  He agreed to do so if the party would help put the spirits of Feldgrau to rest.

The team then went into the mill because Ulcris said he had heard creatures over there.  On the first floor, the team found a pair of Demon Wolf marauders!  Caerwen displayed the Princes’ Wolves tokens, and the werewolves first thought their sworn enemies had arrived; however, when the team didn’t transform, they realized they were fighting something different.  The deadly werewolf warriors began to smite the party, and a bloodbath ensued.  Their massive falchions cut deeply, but even the monks had difficulty harming the werewolves despite their ki-enhanced strikes!  Gnok drew his bane dagger and brutally injured one!  Dario had been hurled to the ground by another, and was in an awkward position when Nyssa’s hold person paralyzed a Demon Wolf!  He performed a coup de grace from below, which got him mauled by the still-standing wolf at his flank, but he disemboweled the paralyzed enemy!  The last werewolf fought valiantly and injured most of the team horrifically; however, Caerwen stepped in and ripped the Demon Wolf’s throat out with his bare hands!  He looked around and saw his friends mauled and in very bad shape, but they were victorious!