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<blockquote data-quote="Tolamaker" data-source="post: 8795241" data-attributes="member: 7031495"><p><strong>Session 46: Banquet of the Mad King</strong></p><p></p><p>The party enters the banquet halls, and are seated behind Dashgoban and Timor as their bodyguards. appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, and wine are shared in abundance. Aripose is able to intercept Gallo's glass before it reaches him, and gives him the antitoxin. Because of their antitoxin most of the group partakes, especially after seeing Steppengard and Gallo share wine. Eluriah wants to abstain at first, but at last tries the food, in case she can taste any poison, which she cannot. Gruz is the only one who refrains from eat and drink, as he sees the Ragesians are also refraining.</p><p></p><p>A troupe of performers finish their play, and leave as Steppengard calls for the real meal to begin. Aripose sees one of the Ragesians slip out the back with the troupe, and decides to follow him. Taking a separate exit so as not to alert him, and bolstered by words from Corban, he is able to find the Ragesian making his way into the library, where he uses a secret entrance to gain access to tunnels below the library. Aripose decides to wait as the trapdoor closes behind the inquisitor, so as not to alert him.</p><p></p><p>In the banquet hall, having eaten his fill, Steppengard refills his glass, and calls for a toast. He thanks the assembled lords for gathering in order to "rid Dassen of all parasites within its borders," and then recites a poem. </p><p></p><p><strong>Lo! ’t is a gala night</strong></p><p><strong> Within the lonesome latter years! </strong></p><p><strong>An angel throng, bewinged, bedight</strong></p><p><strong> In veils, and drowned in tears, </strong></p><p><strong>Sit in a theatre, to see</strong></p><p><strong> A play of hopes and fears,</strong></p><p><strong>While the orchestra breathes fitfully </strong></p><p><strong> The music of the spheres.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Mimes, in the form of God on high, </strong></p><p><strong> Mutter and mumble low,</strong></p><p><strong>And hither and thither fly—</strong></p><p><strong> Mere puppets they, who come and go </strong></p><p><strong>At bidding of vast formless things</strong></p><p><strong> That shift the scenery to and fro,</strong></p><p><strong>Flapping from out their Condor wings</strong></p><p><strong> Invisible Wo!</strong></p><p></p><p>When he finishes, he takes a large swig. The hall is quiet, as the nobles and courtiers try to ascertain what he means by this poetry, when Timor then begins to laugh. And laugh. And giggle profusely. Dashgoban leans forward, placing a hand on hers to ask if she's alright, and Timor stabs a knife through both of their hands at once. The room erupts as others begin to gibber and rave, and Steppengard laughs, pulling out his flail from under the table. "It is time to pay!"</p><p></p><p>In the crowd, Nina Glemmer's body ripples and purple tentacles and heads sprout from her, revealing herself to be Madness, a trillith. She rushes forward to attack Gallo and Namin, ignoring Steppengard. The king turns to Gallo and hits him in the shoulder. The last thing the Duke sees before his head is caved in is his old comrade's eyes aflame with madness.</p><p></p><p>The party rushes forward, as Gruz and Mishka flank the monstrosity and carve into its body as it laughs. Thanks to the antitoxin created by Eluriah, all are able to withstand the poison madness... except for Eluriah. However, Corban is able to lay a <em>lesser restoration </em>upon her, freeing her to sing the Song of Forms. When the first notes begin, Madnessscreeches and turns to her. "So this is how you killed my brother!"</p><p></p><p>In the catacombs, Aripose has seen the Inquisitor cast a spell that seems to <em>banish</em> the Book of the Eight Lands. Suddenly, he also is unable to withstand the madness, and seeing a potential enemy in front of him, fires. The inquisitor flinches, but holds the spell, and retaliates with flames that Aripose dodges nimbly.</p><p></p><p>In the hall, Namin falls under Madness' onslaught, and Corban uses his Cirqueliste training to teleport Eluriah around the battlefield to keep her safe. Mishka chases after Madness as she attempts to avenge her brother. Gruz rushes to Lord Iztorun's side (and gets a dagger in the side from the old dwarf for his troubles) to protect the other nobles, facing off against his king.</p><p></p><p>Down below, Aripose and the Inquisitor have closed the distance and are facing off rapier to flaming claws. With a stunning blow to the gut, Aripose knocks the Ragesian's concentration enough to bring the book back for good, and dispatches him swiftly thereafter. The nobles come to their senses above in the hall. A few heartbeats later, Mishka carves into Madness' body as Eluriah maintains the song despite the necrotic cost to her body. With Madness dead, the remaining Lords and Ladies turn to Dashgoban as he rages, and revoke his kingship. "You are not the King of Dassen." His crown falls from his head, his Kingsguard is released from his bond, and Gruz and Mishka rush forward to disarm and wrestle the man to the ground. Eluriah rushes to Gallo and Namin, and pulls off Namin's extravagant necklace, revivifying them both.</p><p></p><p>As the rest of attendants come to their senses, Aripose returns and tells of the Ragesian's plan. A weakened Gallo raises himself up, and takes in the carnage around them that has miraculously ended without death. Looking away from his former king, he locks eyes with the party. "You have saved all of us, and Dassen as well." He lowers himself to one knee, bowing to them, and the other lords and ladies follow suit as the deposed king spits curses at them all.</p><p></p><p><strong>Post Session Thoughts</strong></p><p>This session was about perfect. Every single player got a moment to shine, with crits from Mishka, Corban playing support to keep Eluriah holding Madness in her corporeal form, Aripose following the Ragesian to understand the plot, and Gruz being forced to lock blades with his king. <em>Chef's kiss. </em>When Madness and Steppengard were first in the initiative, and never missed a hit, I knew I had to kill Gallo in one, no death saves, no nothing. It really set the mood for the whole fight. And even though they were saved in the end, it really didn't feel cheap as Eluriah had a real chance to shine with her quick thinking (Of course lady namin has enormous jewels on her, the better to seduce a king).</p><p></p><p>Shout out to whoever came up with moving the Book of the Eight Lands to another plane (I think it's just a rope trick in the book?) because as soon as Aripose came up on the Ragesian, everyone gasped when they realized what was happening. It also led to a fun moment after the book was returned where Corban tried to cast <em>hideous laughter</em> on the king, and he was under its protection again. The entire thing felt like an intricate machine that the players managed to prepare for perfectly. A+.</p><p></p><p><strong>Changes to the module</strong></p><p>I'm sure I made plenty of changes. I decided it would be fun to start the madness with a poem, and googling poems of madness led me right to Edgar Allan Poe. I almost wanted to read the whole thing, but also wanted to get into the action. I completely forgot to cast <em>confusion </em>with Madness, but because they were playing keepaway I don't know how much of a difference it would have made. I have reached the point where I automatically bump boss NPCs to max hit dice potential, instead of average. We'll see how long until mooks get the same treatment.</p><p></p><p>I'm sure I made more changes, but my brain is a little mush after just finishing, so I'll leave it here. Next week, the party gets their rewards, and make their way back to Seaquen! And also hit level 9!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tolamaker, post: 8795241, member: 7031495"] [B]Session 46: Banquet of the Mad King[/B] The party enters the banquet halls, and are seated behind Dashgoban and Timor as their bodyguards. appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, and wine are shared in abundance. Aripose is able to intercept Gallo's glass before it reaches him, and gives him the antitoxin. Because of their antitoxin most of the group partakes, especially after seeing Steppengard and Gallo share wine. Eluriah wants to abstain at first, but at last tries the food, in case she can taste any poison, which she cannot. Gruz is the only one who refrains from eat and drink, as he sees the Ragesians are also refraining. A troupe of performers finish their play, and leave as Steppengard calls for the real meal to begin. Aripose sees one of the Ragesians slip out the back with the troupe, and decides to follow him. Taking a separate exit so as not to alert him, and bolstered by words from Corban, he is able to find the Ragesian making his way into the library, where he uses a secret entrance to gain access to tunnels below the library. Aripose decides to wait as the trapdoor closes behind the inquisitor, so as not to alert him. In the banquet hall, having eaten his fill, Steppengard refills his glass, and calls for a toast. He thanks the assembled lords for gathering in order to "rid Dassen of all parasites within its borders," and then recites a poem. [B]Lo! ’t is a gala night Within the lonesome latter years! An angel throng, bewinged, bedight In veils, and drowned in tears, Sit in a theatre, to see A play of hopes and fears, While the orchestra breathes fitfully The music of the spheres. Mimes, in the form of God on high, Mutter and mumble low, And hither and thither fly— Mere puppets they, who come and go At bidding of vast formless things That shift the scenery to and fro, Flapping from out their Condor wings Invisible Wo![/B] When he finishes, he takes a large swig. The hall is quiet, as the nobles and courtiers try to ascertain what he means by this poetry, when Timor then begins to laugh. And laugh. And giggle profusely. Dashgoban leans forward, placing a hand on hers to ask if she's alright, and Timor stabs a knife through both of their hands at once. The room erupts as others begin to gibber and rave, and Steppengard laughs, pulling out his flail from under the table. "It is time to pay!" In the crowd, Nina Glemmer's body ripples and purple tentacles and heads sprout from her, revealing herself to be Madness, a trillith. She rushes forward to attack Gallo and Namin, ignoring Steppengard. The king turns to Gallo and hits him in the shoulder. The last thing the Duke sees before his head is caved in is his old comrade's eyes aflame with madness. The party rushes forward, as Gruz and Mishka flank the monstrosity and carve into its body as it laughs. Thanks to the antitoxin created by Eluriah, all are able to withstand the poison madness... except for Eluriah. However, Corban is able to lay a [I]lesser restoration [/I]upon her, freeing her to sing the Song of Forms. When the first notes begin, Madnessscreeches and turns to her. "So this is how you killed my brother!" In the catacombs, Aripose has seen the Inquisitor cast a spell that seems to [I]banish[/I] the Book of the Eight Lands. Suddenly, he also is unable to withstand the madness, and seeing a potential enemy in front of him, fires. The inquisitor flinches, but holds the spell, and retaliates with flames that Aripose dodges nimbly. In the hall, Namin falls under Madness' onslaught, and Corban uses his Cirqueliste training to teleport Eluriah around the battlefield to keep her safe. Mishka chases after Madness as she attempts to avenge her brother. Gruz rushes to Lord Iztorun's side (and gets a dagger in the side from the old dwarf for his troubles) to protect the other nobles, facing off against his king. Down below, Aripose and the Inquisitor have closed the distance and are facing off rapier to flaming claws. With a stunning blow to the gut, Aripose knocks the Ragesian's concentration enough to bring the book back for good, and dispatches him swiftly thereafter. The nobles come to their senses above in the hall. A few heartbeats later, Mishka carves into Madness' body as Eluriah maintains the song despite the necrotic cost to her body. With Madness dead, the remaining Lords and Ladies turn to Dashgoban as he rages, and revoke his kingship. "You are not the King of Dassen." His crown falls from his head, his Kingsguard is released from his bond, and Gruz and Mishka rush forward to disarm and wrestle the man to the ground. Eluriah rushes to Gallo and Namin, and pulls off Namin's extravagant necklace, revivifying them both. As the rest of attendants come to their senses, Aripose returns and tells of the Ragesian's plan. A weakened Gallo raises himself up, and takes in the carnage around them that has miraculously ended without death. Looking away from his former king, he locks eyes with the party. "You have saved all of us, and Dassen as well." He lowers himself to one knee, bowing to them, and the other lords and ladies follow suit as the deposed king spits curses at them all. [B]Post Session Thoughts[/B] This session was about perfect. Every single player got a moment to shine, with crits from Mishka, Corban playing support to keep Eluriah holding Madness in her corporeal form, Aripose following the Ragesian to understand the plot, and Gruz being forced to lock blades with his king. [I]Chef's kiss. [/I]When Madness and Steppengard were first in the initiative, and never missed a hit, I knew I had to kill Gallo in one, no death saves, no nothing. It really set the mood for the whole fight. And even though they were saved in the end, it really didn't feel cheap as Eluriah had a real chance to shine with her quick thinking (Of course lady namin has enormous jewels on her, the better to seduce a king). Shout out to whoever came up with moving the Book of the Eight Lands to another plane (I think it's just a rope trick in the book?) because as soon as Aripose came up on the Ragesian, everyone gasped when they realized what was happening. It also led to a fun moment after the book was returned where Corban tried to cast [I]hideous laughter[/I] on the king, and he was under its protection again. The entire thing felt like an intricate machine that the players managed to prepare for perfectly. A+. [B]Changes to the module[/B] I'm sure I made plenty of changes. I decided it would be fun to start the madness with a poem, and googling poems of madness led me right to Edgar Allan Poe. I almost wanted to read the whole thing, but also wanted to get into the action. I completely forgot to cast [I]confusion [/I]with Madness, but because they were playing keepaway I don't know how much of a difference it would have made. I have reached the point where I automatically bump boss NPCs to max hit dice potential, instead of average. We'll see how long until mooks get the same treatment. I'm sure I made more changes, but my brain is a little mush after just finishing, so I'll leave it here. Next week, the party gets their rewards, and make their way back to Seaquen! And also hit level 9! [/QUOTE]
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