Banewarrens d20 (Angelsboi's party)

[diaglo]

Round and round we go

The next morning held new possibilities. Fiddle headed to breakfast chipper. Only to have his plans thwarted.

"If you agree to help me rid my grove of the vile menace Venom," Chloe said to the group. "Then I will help you with your goal."

"Dragon?" Fiddle chimed. "Did you.."

"No, Fiddle," Alya retorted. "We have to recover the Sword of Lies first. Then destroy the Grail. Then possibly find the ancient elven blade that will kill Venom. Before we go finding your dragon. Then head to the Hidden Vale for Sully. And that all starts with going back to the Plane of Ooze. But first Sully has to take us to the Chapel of St Thessina. Where we get to leap off the balcony and hope the portal is still there."

"But there is a Dragon on the Plane of Ooze," Fiddle beamed. "Father Claw."

"I'm staying here with Dunnin," Vlad added. "And I'm sure Darian won't be leaving the Rose Altar anytime soon either. Who knows what he is making."

So Sully took Chloe, Alya, Fextor, and Fiddle to the Chapel.

"We're going to the Chapel..." Fiddle started to sing, but ended up vomitting by the end due to the teleportation sickness and his hangover.

 

[diaglo]

And away we go

"Chitter, chitter, chitter," an angry fiendish dire weasel chittered

Chloe got dressed up and down by the furry beast. The weasel agreed to wait for her return. The party entered the Chapel and ascended the stairs. The previous damage to the rooftop still showed. No one had been to the Chapel. And there were no signs of the snakewoman's comings or goings.

"Shall we?" Fiddle asked as he prepared to leap over the edge.

"A moment," Chloe said. "I can make it so we can travel as the air. I'll cast that when we arrive. Are there any other spells we should prepare?"

The party buffed up and then leapt into the portal.

 

[diaglo]

Arcane Ooze

The party landed in the muck. Chloe immediately began to cast her spell. Sully assumed pixie form. And then it happened.

"Something is draining the magic from my brain," Sully screamed out.

"Me, too," Alya replied.

Fiddle noticed the ooze. Fextor charged forward with his stone axe. Fiddle drew his bow and levitated to safety. Sully tried his bolts of magic. No effect. Alya swore and fired his bow.

The ooze reached for Fextor. Chloe called on a lightning storm. Things got worse. It seemed to excite the ooze not harm it.

"Arrrgghhh," Sully yelled. "It did it again." He flew away. The ooze grew in size.

Alya fired another volley while repositioning. Fextor and Fiddle attacked. The damage they caused only seemed to be slowing the growth. The ooze reached for Alya.

Chloe assumed bear form and waded in to combat.

"NOoooo," Alya jerked. The ooze grew again.

"I'm free," Sully called. "Flee, Alya. Come this way."

Alya needed to kill this thing. The oathbow demanded it. The ooze beat about the poor bard.

Fextor and Fiddle provided some help. The ooze was shrinking but not hardly enough.

The party became air. And flew for safety. Alya hovered for a moment and contemplated finishing the battle. But that meant exposure again. He had lost his most powerful spells. Sully had lost some too. This trip was costly already and they hadn't even found Brother Heth yet.

 

[diaglo]

Father Claw takes a drink

Sully cast a spell so the party could communicate.

"We need a place to stop and heal up," Chloe said.

"Follow me," Fiddle answered.

He led them to the only place he knew that had drinkable water and solid land. To the Darkwell. As they got closer it was not empty.

A large black dragon drank from the font. The party pulled up short and waited. A few minutes passed and the dragon got its fill. It finally took off into the mists above.

The party hit the ground spellcasting. They became solid and went to work healing up at the same time reversing the process to become air again. Chloe and Alya worked on Alya while Fiddle tended Fextor.

Once in air form they took off for their objective. The Black Tower.

 

[diaglo]

Assault on the Aerie of the Slavelords

Just like the escaped slave said. Fiddle led them right to the black square tower. A scouting mission was the first order of business. Sully made the party invisible when they got closer.

Twenty feet tall, flat rooftop with windows spaced evenly around. Two dragonkin, Ssvalkor, circled the perimeter. The interior was pitch black from the side windows. Near the front gate two guard posts were full of Ogres. The back windows opened into a large throne room. Two voices could be heard but not understood.

The Ssvalkor came around. They reacted by sniffing the air. The party flew to the other side of the building and into one of the windows. The party made their way to the throne room. Brother Heth and the snakewoman chatted. A huge eight legged blue skinned reptile lay across from them.

It was a trap.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Yes, yes it was ... but it hasn't been sprung yet ... muah-ha-ha!

Edit: and stay tuned for episode 48, where our intrepid heroes learn that wandering the city of undead without a cleric is not wise, and that it really sucks when the other guy sneak attacks you!

 

[diaglo]

The trap is sprung

Brother Heth pulled down a sword from the wall. Several other nice blades remained mounted there. He concentrated. The party fled back under the door just as they assumed normal form.

"They are here," Brother Heth cried out. "Under that door. Zvithra call your pet."

Sully called on his magic to quicken the pace. His invisibilty spell still operated. An Ogre opened the door Fiddle guarded. Seven quick cuts later a bloody mess fell to the floor. The 3 remaining Ogre guards yelled in fear as Fiddle materialized over the victim.

A small, bat-winged, creature poked its head out another door, screamed, and quickly slammed it shut. Chloe assumed bat form and flitted to the window. Alya sang words of praise in Fiddle's ear. Fextor moved on the Ogres. He sliced into one. Two doors remained unchecked.

Sully cast another spell. Fiddle vanished again. The Ogres attacked Fextor. Fiddle made quick work of another Ogre. Chloe hung back. Alya sang for courage. Fextor finished his Ogre.

Sully repeated the spell on Fextor. The dwarf vanished. The last Ogre ran for his life thru the hallway passed Fextor, Fiddle, Alya, Sully, and Chloe. Fiddle and Fextor cut him as he ran. He opened the door to Brother Heth.

ZZZZzzzzzappppp

His smoking corpse hit the ground. Fiddle opened another door and went thru the room. The door opposite was open. Four more Ogres stood at the entrance. He charged into the fray and brought another one down. Chloe swooped thru into the room with Brother Heth. The eight legged reptile stared at the door. She called on a storm of fire. It fell down on Brother Heth, the snakewoman, and the blue reptile. Alya sang again to Fextor. Fextor ran to Fiddle's side.

Sully called on his most potent spell. Brother Heth faltered and was no more. The snakewoman did not flinch. She still had help. The 2 dragons and now a large croc also entered the battle. She hit the party with a blast of her own special magic. The Ogres attacked Fiddle and Fextor. Chloe assumed bear form. Alya sang more words of encouragement to Fiddle. Fextor attacked the Ogres and watched for the Dragons.

 

[diaglo]

Balls to the Walls

ZZZzzzz BANG

Sully lowered the boom on the crowd with his normal flare. The last Ogres fell. The snakewoman writhed a little. And the blue reptile shivered. The croc was safe. The enemy retaliated. Fextor bled from many wounds. And the snakewoman called for her magic again.

Fiddle rolled up under the blue lizard and stabbed upwards. Chloe battled the dragons. Alya healed Fextor. Fextor brought his axe down on the blue lizard. It landed with a heavy thump barely missing Fiddle.

Sully unleashed a swarm of magical bolts. The snake woman's magic materialized. Six of the blades on the walls detached and attacked the party. Sully was the main target. Chloe and Fiddle next. The dragons assaulted Chloe and Fextor still. The croc tried for Fiddle. Fiddle moved on his hated foes. He cut up one of the dragons, but it hardly slowed. Chloe called down a blast of fire. The croc died. Alya vanished from sight and moved into a better position to help.

"Gotcha," Fextor grabbed the snakewoman.

She smiled and her fangs dripped venom.

Sully tried to protect himself and the others, but the swords were no help. He risked all and cast another spell. It fizzled against the snakewoman. She bit Fextor and slid free. The dwarf crumpled. The dragons roared and attacked Fiddle. The swords swung at the woman's command. Fiddle stood his ground. Another attack like that and he was finished. Still he was determined to go down swinging. He cut and cut and cut. The dragon bled but didn't die. Chloe bashed the other dragon. Alya fired into melee. The snakewoman collapsed. Fextor bled.

Sully fired another blast of magic. These dragons were tough. The swords hung still. The dragons clawed poor Fiddle. The lights went out...

 

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Talking heads

Fiddle woke to Chloe's healing paw. He pulled out his wand and started the process of preparing for the reinforcements. He healed Sully and Fextor a little too. Alya gathered a pile of magical treasure. Sully also found a few things in one room. And Chloe in Bear form destroyed one potion and recovered a few gems and coins.

"I hope that is it," Alya exclaimed. "Lets get out of here."

"We still have the small winged critter at the end of that hall," Fiddle remarked.

Fiddle noticed one of the items recovered was a longhafted dagger with High Elven writing. He pointed it out. As Alya picked it up, it spoke in a youthful feminine pitch.

"You have saved me," it said. "I am Esmerelda... Yshella." Fiddle's ears played tricks on him.

Now in front of the last door, Sully called out, "Come out. We mean you no harm. Your masters are dead."

"You no hurt, Vern?" Vern begged.

"If you tell us what we want to know you are free to go," Sully tried. "Come out."

The door cracked open and Sully cast a spell.

 

[diaglo]

Next stop home

Sully became Vern's best buddy. He told the party all he knew and then some about the Quaan, the Pactlords, and the Black Manor. Esmerelda filled in the rest. Vern also had a stolen piece of a puzzle. Esmerelda was a Staff originally, The Staff of Shards. Vern's piece fit into place easily.

Vlad was given the Sword of Truth to wield. All agreed they wouldn't tell Darian or his church about it. Vern helped the party recover a few items from the Manor. He got to redecorate a few rooms with ooze. He wanted to travel with Sully after some discussion about what to do with him.

Alya activated his Bane medallion. True to her word, Cybil's bane took the party back to Aber-Toril. Somewhere in the Arch Woods near Archendale. Sully teleported the party to the Rose Altar. He went back for the others.

Darian had to vouch for the party once again. Vern it seemed didn't make many friends with his ooze-flinging nature.

They hiked to the Windlord's Rest to recover and sort out the loot. Vern went into the sewers to have some fun. Fiddle wandered over to Grimwold's Revenge to buy some more pearls for Alya and to work out a few things that bugged him.