Game summary for May 12, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), and Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), accompanied by NPC companions Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric), and Bhagesh (pavbagha) and cohort Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer).
Fear. Thrain’s life drained away, choked from him at the hands of Gnok. The chill of death closed in on all sides, and the dwarf’s vision faded to black. The dwarf’s soul should have traveled to the Boneyard to await Pharasma’s judgment. Something, however, prevented his journey.
The team fell back with the bodies of the slain and set them by the unholy radiant energy of the Lazurite Focus. Nervously, eagerly, they watched the bodies of their friends they had so callously murdered in the pursuit of power.
Pain. Frigid agony tore through Thrain, but no amount of screaming offered release. Eventually he realized he only desired to scream and lacked any ability to do so! The cold he used so often as a weapon settled into his mind tracing stabbing pathways of fresh agony, and after what seemed a lifetime of torture settled into his essence, his very being.
Ice was the first sign. A frosty sheen began to form over Thrain’s pale skin. As time passed, it thickened into a hoary rime.
Rage. Unbridled fury at his helpless torment wracked Thrain’s soul. He longed to thrash and lash out at those around him. He longed for release. He longed for warmth. Anger at his choice to walk this path ripped through his mind over and over. He could see Gnok’s fists closed over his throat. He could feel the heat of life leaving his body, leaving him cold, so very, very cold. Fury. Thrain willed himself warm, with no effect. In death he failed, he was weak, powerless. Around him he could sense, but not feel, the heat of life. Those he once called friends and companions. They huddled about him, and he could feel their essence.
Faint at first, then glowing softly, lines of blue etched themselves along Thrain’s armored breastplate. Periodic bursts of black energy from the Lazurite Focus caused the lines to flare and trace unholy signs.
Hatred. How dare they just sit there, watching, living. So warm. So pain-free. So much left to do; life cut short through folly and stupidity. Self-loathing and frustration as Thrain screamed in his brain, helpless, unmoving. He held onto something, something hard and unyielding, not weak like his flesh. A twitch. More screaming. A spasm. Crying out to consume life! THRASHING! MOVING! EXISTING!
Lights of blue seething with cold erupt in empty sockets as Thrain’s eyes flutter open! A dry whisper rises from his dead throat as his body shudders. It begins to spasm and a rasping gasp tears itself from his mouth. The dead dwarf sits up spastically, nearly uncontrolled as a scream of pain and frustration bursts forth from lungs destroyed by rigor! Grasping his steel pick, Thrain rises up to his feet as cold radiates across his weapon. The chill of the grave freezes the moisture in the air around his pick into faint flakes of ice and snow that drift down to melt on the stone.
Thrain violently returned to “life” as a graveknight and rose up to stand alongside the vampires Gnok and Lucretia! The team returned to the catacombs where Dario created several metal bludgeoning weapons with his magic, and the team enhanced themselves with numerous buffing spells. They then charged into the formulary to engage a lich alchemist and two embalming golems!
The golems nearly killed Bhagesh almost immediately. They tried to harm Lucretia, but their negative energy infusions instead healed her wounds! For his part, the lich consumed an extract of greater invisibility and moved around the room. Thrain, Dario, and Lucretia began taking out the golems while Gnok used gaseous form to try and get past and find the lich. He instead found himself pelted with bombs! Thrain was able to figure out the general vicinity of the lich and engaged! With the golems destroyed, Dario was able to bring his large Lucerne hammer to bear as well. Gnok ended up behind the invisible lich and tore into it with his ki-enhanced hands. The lich got pinned in and unable to defend properly, and the group quickly destroyed his physical form! The team searched the room and looted several magical items of value.
