Sunday, February 21, 2016

[D&D 5e] Princes of the Apocalypse 2016, Post 4

Everyone wanted to cross the chasm, for some reason. The strange, half hidden path, the opening in the wall near it that showed a chamber filled with horrified statues, did not dissuade them.

Fortunately they worked as a group in their stealthy attempt, so as to make up for the clanking armour wearer amongst them.

Pliskin sensed his family artefact had been moved and a moment latter with a spell cast, flew across the chasm quickly and came to it – only to find it was only half of the silver runed disk!? It had been sundered! He snatched up the tome of research next to it, that hinted water cultists had stolen it (though some had flown away after the theft, strangely). There was a note about the water cultists surface settlement. That settled it for Pliskin – that was his next target.

So they snuck back along the thin path above a hundred foot drop, trying contradictorily to be both observant but not at all look into the statue chamber where a medusa might be lairing. The same male medusa that they had just looted the treasure chamber of!

They made it across, only to find a group of armoured earth cultists guards investigating the room the chasm path lead to. The barbarian Brogue growled there wasn’t enough of them, he wanted more than this – and indeed more did run in through the door until there were five guards against the parties own five. Battle was joined! The guards, though armoured and swift in their blows and strength, merely bruised the party and demanded the healer turn his healing magic upon himself. One guard was sent into the chasm by the goliath barbarian, Brogue, to brake upon the stones below. They were victorious.

Pliskin, having gained at least part of his artifact, felt he was done here. They made their way back through another arrow slit the goliath had adjusted and headed across the zig zag bridge to the two hundred and fifty foot set of stairs. Others laboured up, only one becoming partially exhausted and Pliskin used the remainder of his spell of flight to make his way up without effort.

Back at the sacred stone monastery, master Quarbo sought to question the group about their dealings below and why they were back, but Pliskin rebuffed him in his haste to leave. This almost agitated the master of the monastery, until mention was made of slaying water cultists, at which, along with the memory of the party having slayed the beast in his the basement, made him bite his tongue. The party left, the front door guards putting up no resistance this time.

Soon they had re-united with the captives they had freed before and hidden away outside. One of them was a dwarf, who now come to his senses having eaten properly, introduced himself as one of the Miribar trade delegates gone missing long ago and…the party pressed on. This was not their business – their aim was Red Larch, to drop off these captives!

A Bullette encounter in the wilderness, perhaps a reflection of the elemental imbalance of the region, with a knocked out barbarian and many shield spells, three chilled or nightmarish nights. After all that just as they get to Red Larch, they start to see the damage to its buildings – with people running around with torches, trying to put the town back together again. In fact, some lights danced in the nearby woods as well.

The party thought better of that and tried to walk past, straight to town. Which meant the will o wisps did not get their ambush – only striking with mighty bolts of electricity several party members and evading with their speed. Scorched near to unconsciousness, the party wins against the dread whisp lurkers – but what has happened in the town of Red Larch?

http://philosophergamer.blogspot.com/2016/02/d-5e-princes-of-apocalypse-2016-post-5.html

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