Charles Plemons' Blog

Game summary for August 25, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

The ravener breathed fire across the party again! Lucretia dissolved into gaseous form due to the damage, and Dario fell unconscious. Nyssa roused him with cure serious wounds while Zedd began firing icicle. Gnok tried to jump astride the dragon and was swatted to the ground. Thrain moved closer as the ravener tried to command him but failed. Thrain hit the dragon with his frigid devastating blast repeatedly while Nyssa cast haste. Gnok connected with a few hits. Dario, Bartemus, and Shaddoc were all still affected by insanity and alternated attacking each other, babbling incoherently, and slicing themselves with their weapons. Finally, Thrain closed in and drove his frigid pick into the fiery dragon and killed it! Dario was able to heal himself of insanity as Bartemus fell unconscious from his wounds.

The team looked up to see a thin nobleman standing in the open doorway of Gallowspire. He screamed in anger and yelled, “You again! Count or no Count, the Tyrant will rise!” He then swallowed a potion and staggered into the darkness as the doors of Gallowspire slammed closed.

The group raced to the doors and found them securely closed. Great skeletal arms served as hinges, and they estimated the iron doors at around 200 tons each. Zedd walked up and calmly knocked. The negative energy of his lich touch flowed into the doors, and they swung wide! They party looked on a bit amazed.

Two devourers charged forth to engage the team. One enthralled Nyssa with a suggestion to flee, and she ran off into the rain. The other used control undead upon Thrain and drove him to beat Gnok into gaseous form! He then spun around to attack Zedd and found his frozen pick not as well suited for battling a lich.

Game summary for August 18, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

The team looked on in dread at the ravaged city of Adorak with the ominous iron tower of Gallowspire looming in the center. As they stared, metal-clad Dario was blasted with a lightning strike from the raging tempest. The team ran into a nearby building as the acidic embalming fluid falling like rain began to burn the skin. They advanced further into the city and crossed over a road of skulls. The chattering heads began to snap at the feet of the living but ignored the undead. The jaws inflicted horrendous damage, and their jabbering drove the living insane!

The group gathered in another crumbling building and healed each other a bit. Suddenly the building shook as a massive red-scaled monstrosity crashed into the roof causing it to collapse! Some of the team was pinned in the collapse while others scrambled out to see a massive dragon flapping off over the skyline! The group dug out their friends and nursed some wounds. A moment later, the dragon caught the team off guard again and crashed into the ground beside them. The tremendous impact caused a cave-in, and an enormous sinkhole fell in. Zedd, Shaddoc, and Bartemus were swept under the earth and pinned by the crushing weight.

Gnok shouted out for Zedd. The lich answered from beneath the earth, and Gnok began to search for the trapped wizard. The dragon landed once again, its very essence causing several to cower in fright, and breathed fire upon Dario and Lucretia. Both were terribly burned, and part of Dario’s soul was sucked up into the dragon’s maw! At this distance the team could see the dragon was undead with glowing fiery eyes! Gnok turned to gaseous form to cross the shifting soil. Thrain summoned his phantom steed capable of flying across the ground unhindered. Nyssa cast good hope while Lucretia nailed the dragon with acidic spray.

Dario remembered tales of Tar-Baphon’s steed, a mighty red dragon ravener named Marrowgarth! The werewolf began to cast a spell, but his insanity instead drove him to attack the dragon with his sword. His blade bounced off the metallic scales but got her attention. Marrowgarth then tore into Dario with tooth and claw. Dario invoked his divine intervention to narrowly escape death. Gnok dug up Zedd who immediately cast ice storm around Marrowgarth. Unfortunately, her spell resistance held out. Thrain, mounted on his wicked ghostly phantom horse, charged over the sinkhole and drove his pick into the dragon, the icy blast wreaking havoc. Lucretia hit it with an acidic elemental blast as well. Wanting no more, the ravener leaped into the air and took wing, flying away from the team.

The group extracted their buried friends while they heard screams off in the distance that suddenly went silent. The team sped toward Gallowspire and discovered a large cage filled with charred bodies. They realized the ravener had consumed the souls of these people to recharge its power. As they came to this conclusion, the ravener came crashing back down among them!

Game summary for August 13, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Radimir Dragomirov (human huecuva lord cleric), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

Thrain grabbed one of the chains and smashed through the other two suspending the corpse over the pit of negative energy. He held tightly as he and the body swung back and forth. Dario flailed away with his lucerne hammer, killing the Gray Friar and blasting a zombie into oblivion with his devastating weapon. Bartemus and Radimir dispatched a juju zombie. Shaddoc took several hits but slew one of his assailants as Gnok closed in and took down the other. Free of immediate threats, the team began healing up while Dario, in hybrid werewolf form, overturned the altar and hiked a leg.

The undead members of the party huddled around the pit of negative energy to recover their wounds while Zedd used the Seasage Effigy (a.k.a., the Face of Dagon) to commune with her demon lord master. She posed the following questions:

1. Does Lucimar have Count Galdana in his possession?  Unclear.
2. Is Lucimar heading for Gallowspire?  Yes.
3. Has the real Count Galdana been turned into a lich?  Unclear.
4. Is the real Count Galdana alive?  Unclear.
5. Were the juju zombies descended of the Count Galdana bloodline?  Unclear.
6. Does the Whispering Way have something in possession to continue the bloodline of Count Galdana?  Unclear.
7. Dagon, are you lying to me?  No
8. Has the reincarnation of Tar-Baphon into lich form already happened?  No.
9. Has the Carrion Crown been fully assembled?  Yes.
10. Has the Carrion Crown been used?  No.
11. Is the Carrion Crown in Gallowspire?  Yes.
12. Was Lucimar’s exchange with the Gray Friar a lie?  Yes.
13. Was the creature Lucimar teleported out of this room with a juju zombie?  Unclear.

The group barricaded themselves into the room and settled in to rest, recover abilities, and study or pray for new spells. Afterward, Zedd used one of his scrolls of teleport and successfully by-passed the witchgates. He got the team to the very edge of the ruined city of Adorak, home of dreaded Gallowspire!

Game summary for August 7, 2015, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Shadows of Gallowspire adventure; PCs included Dario Malavasi (human afflicted dire werewolf oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf vampire monk), Thrain (graveknight dwarf slayer), and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (human brine lich abjurer/cleric/mystic theurge), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and cohort Bartemus Grimm (dwarf gunslinger), Lucretia Ivankov (human vampire spawn sorcerer), and Shaddoc Moana (human brineborn barbarian).

Thrain tumbled through his assailants but was quickly re-surrounded. Zedd destroyed several juju zombies with an ice storm as the high priest cast flame strike upon the team. Gnok and Shaddoc tore into the other zombies while Dario began summoning a vrock demon from the Abyss! Lucretia’s acid spells dissolved several zombies, and Bartemus’ blunderbuss pelted several others and brought one down. Train began to slay his attackers while the high priest tried to afflict Dario with deafness. The werewolf succeeded though in summoning forth the vrock!

The screeching demon attacked as Lucimar the Lich-Wolf, one of the leaders of the Whispering Way, appeared out of nowhere. He yelled at the high priest telling him to protect the Count at all costs and pointed to the man suspended above the well of negative energy. The high priest cast harm upon the vrock and sent it back into torment. Zedd hurled Thrain up onto the Count using telekinetic charge so he could pick the locks of his manacles and release him. Meanwhile, Dario figured the Count must be taking damage from the negative energy and cast cure serious wounds. Upon touching the Count, he screamed and died! Lucimar yelled for the high priest to salvage the corpse and then disappeared with one of the other zombies.