Session 43 - Almost Annie - 15 Jan 2009

We waited for all of the water to flow past, while wondering where Father Seamus had been swept away to. As we begin discussing what to do, Father Seamus comes back up, using an airwalk spell. He had been swept into a large cavern with steam and mud springs, but couldn’t see anything.

We continue to another room past the flood door, around a couple corners, down a long hallway, and into a room that we saw through holes in the wall opposite the holes that the ochre jelly used to attack us. We are now off the path to the mud room that Father Seamus saw. We come to a room with a high vaulted ceiling with a trap door inset in it, and 4 large statues in the corner, of Olman warriors. Jakara goes in first, to test for traps (we can’t actually detect them, but Jakara has an abnormally high reflex save), and the portcullis slams down! Jakara is trapped in the room by himself, and the four statues move in to attack!

Alobar and Enias have enough Arcane knowledge, to recognize them as clay golems, after seeing the results of Jakara’s first hit against them. Solaral summons a Polar Bear inside the room to help Jakara out. Alobar casts greater invisibility on Enias and he uses his special teleport ability to switch places with Jakara. Alobar and Malaforte hit them with magical attacks. Except the magical attacks don’t work, because of the general spell immunity of the golems. Crap. Malaforte is certainly a one-trick pony. Enias is whacking at the golems, but they have a DR that is adamantine and bludgeoning, and they are hitting back at him, hard and fast (they can haste themselves). There is a miss chance because he’s invisible, but they know what space he’s in and still hit him fairly often. They do a lot of damage when they hit. He’s in trouble. The polar bear lasts for 2 rounds, taking up the attention of one of the golems. Father Seamus uses Summon Monster VII to summon a Huge Earth Elemental. Even with 150 HP the elemental doesn’t last much longer. Alobar is able to shrink the portcullis, and Annie tumbles into the room and attacks. Not a good idea – she is rapidly brought to -6 hit points. These guys are kicking our ass.

Father Seamus is trying to heal the two, but it doesn’t take. The wounds that the clay golems deal out are cursed, and have a spell resistance of 26. Crap, again. These boys are tough. Enias stabs himself with the dagger of break enchantment, but it fails to penetrate the SR, too! Enias runs out of the room, leaving Annie (that’s what cohorts are for) and the clay golems don’t follow! Thank goodness. Father Seamus continues to try his healing spells, but he is having trouble with the dice tonight. He keeps wasting spells and he’s running out. We have noticed that they are taking fire damage for Alobar’s fiery burst feat, which is supernatural, not magical, but aren’t sure if they will attack if we attack into the room. And Annie isn’t stabilizing. We’re not sure how to get her out of there. Maybe it’s time to roll up a new cohort?! We come up with a last ditch plan, either we will save Annie or get our wizard killed trying. Alobar dimension doors into the room while invisible, grabs Annie. In spite of the invisability the golems seem to be able to tell he's in the room and his general location. They start moving to surrond him. However, before the golems can get in good licks in he teleports out. Surprisingly our plan worked! Or did it? On his teleport check he rolls high, too high he's off target! And the randomly rolled direction is back into the room with the golems. Doube crap! After some debate over the rules and studying of the example in the spell description, it is determined he is only a few feet off. He lands a few feet off, but still in the hallway. Alobar & Annie are safe! And finally, Father Seamus is able to get some healing in on Annie and Enias.

We noticed that the room is tall enough for Alobar to fly into, out of the golems’ reach, and hit them with Fiery bursts. Enias blocks the door way, so only one can attack him and he and Alobar manage to kill them all. We really need to rest, so Alobar does his rope trick, and we climb in and rest. And we are 14th level! Yeah! More on that, later.

Session 44 - Calling the Couatls – 22 Jan 2009

The party is now 14th level:

Father Seamus: Cleric 13 / Sacred Exorcist 1
Alobar: Wizard 14
Enias Fal: Binder 14
Ugly Annie ( Enias' cohort): Swashbuckler 9 / Uncanny Trickster 2 / Rogue 1
Solaral: Ranger 12 / Barbarian 1 / Hellreaver 1
Malaforte: Warlock 10 / Hellfire Warlock 3
Jakara: Ranger 5 / Totemic Demon Slayer 9

We start our day off with the typical Heroes’ Feast. And then we do that thing that probably saves all our lives, later in the day. We decide to use all three of our couatl feathers and cast planar ally three times. We’d gotten these in the temple of the Rakastas, when we met the couatl in the weapons cache. We gave it some thought (metagaming our minds out) and figured that now was the appropriate level to use them – later levels, calling a 9-12 HD creature wouldn’t do as much, but at 14th level, calling 3 together could make a big difference. And it did.

Three couatls popped in, and we negotiated for their aid in clearing the temple. We were hoping to strike a good deal, because it was a couatl temple we were clearing, from demonic influences. As usual, John the DM drove a hard bargain – and we aren’t a party with a lot of gold coin to spend. The lead couatl negotiated our promise to oppose Demogorgon at every opportunity. The 2d couatl took leather armor +3, and an amulet of natural armor +1. The 3d couatl took a +3 shock dagger (Solaral favored her new human bane dagger, anyway). Additionally, the couatls don’t want to spend time looting the temple (imagine that) and ask us to head directly for the boss man. They can sense him, and say he is in the lowest, hottest part of the complex. We figure that means in the direction that Father Seamus had slid the previous day. The couatls say they will help us, but won’t take the lead in combat.

The couatls cast a series of protective buffs on us. Everyone in the party gets freedom of movement, stoneskin, and protection from acid (108 pts) – we still remember the big guy’s spit. Then the couatls change into little wrens and hop onto the shoulders of Enias (?), Father Seamus, and Alobar. The party members also load up on the buffs from themselves.

We head down into the steam and mud pit room. It’s gigantic, and we can’t see across the whole way, either with dark vision or low-light vision. There appears to be a smooth path past all the pools, right down the center. We hesitate to take it. We decide to take a more treacherous path down one side, as the couatls point us in the direction of the greatest evil. Unfortunately, while negotiating one particularly treacherous point, we are attacked! 12 of the large kopru swarm us, some from the pools, and some flying from above. They are wearing leather armor and have (un)holy symbols of Demogorgon. Naturally, we kill them. These were just cannon fodder, meant to wear us down. The stoneskin from the couatls really helps the party, but we lose much of the protection as it’s worn down. During the fight, the couatls stick to casting magic missiles – the three of them can pop off 15 magic missiles between them, usually all at the same kopru.

The couatls let us know that the demon boss here can sense us, and is waiting. We follow their directions, after casting a few more buffs and protections on ourselves. We travel down a side passage, and come to a worked stone temple, in a football field sized hall. There are huge stone columns, and a balcony, with 8 doorways opening off it to other areas. There is a stone dais in the center, with a huge melon-sized black pearl resting on it. Standing next to it, we see the big two-headed, acid-spitting guy, whom the couatls tells us is the big boss here, Kala.

“The battle is joined.”

Session 45 – Killing Kala - 29 Jan 2009

The pearl on the stone dais, in the center of the room, looks like a pre-cursor to one of the shadow pearls. We detect strong conjuration, transmutation, chaos, and evil. We wonder if Kala is drawing power from it. Unfortunately, more on this later. Kala, the couatls whisper in our minds, is an aspect of Demogorgon, and appears to be a hybrid of kopru and demon. We see at least 4 of his lizard hound pets, which are skulvyns. There is a large pool of water in the center of the room, and we wonder of more are in it. He had seen 6 previously.

Kala says “I’ve been expecting you.”

We roll our eyes. John has been giving hints that we might lose 1 or more PCs, even have a TPK. We’ll see.

We are all still stacked up in the tunnel, and we decide we want to lure him to us – that he probably has defenses set. If he comes to us, great. If he sends his skulvyns, we can kill them without worrying about him, and then kill him. Malaforte pops off an eldritch blast, and rolls an 18 for touch attack. A miss! Crap! That’s a high touch AC. Kala sends the skulvyns after us, as we hoped, and two more pop out of the water, so 6 are charging toward us. They are really slow.
Alobar tries some fell magic missiles. Alobar uses Arcane Mastery to take 10 on the SR roll, so gets 24. It bypasses the SR for the skulvyns, damaging 4 and reducing their strength by 4. However, the missile targeting Kala fails to bypass his SR with the 24. Crap!
Kala then tries to hit us with gaze attacks – two of them. I hate two-headed guys. One is a fear effect, but Heroes’ feast renders us immune to it. Hurray! The second is a confusion, and Protection from Evil renders the target immune. Hurray! Kala also tries a feeblemind spell on Alobar, but Alobar is under a Protection from Evil effect too, and so keeps his intelligence. Hurray!!!
The rest of the party is backing up down the tunnel, and spreading out. The couatls, still in wren form and now invisible, teleport off our shoulders, and into the big temple room, spread out along the walls. One of them warns us telepathically that it is getting a slow effect from the skulvyns, so we want to kill them before they get to us. Oh, wait. We have freedom of movement. Never mind.
Alobar tries another set of fell magic missiles, and rolls a 33 for CL check. This does bypass Kala’s SR- YES!! So we know his SR is between 24 and 33, now. That’s a less than 50% chance to hit, for 14th level casters.
The couatls launch magic missiles at the skulvyns.
Enias goes into the ethereal plane, another one of his weird abilities, and waits for an appropriate moment to pop out.
Malaforte does another eldritch blast at Kala, and rolls a 20 for the touch attack. Another miss! WTF! This guy’s touch AC is outrageous.
Kala casts unholy blight, getting almost everyone with some damage. We need to spread out more.
The couatls launch fireballs at the hounds, and do a lot of damage, but all 6 are still coming.
Father Seamus launches a flamestrike at the skulvyns, and damages them some more.
Alobar launches a fireball at the skulvyns, and they take damage again, but all 6 are still coming!
Kala targets Alobar with a Greater Dispel, and removes everything he’s got up, blasting through the caster level checks. Alobar sinks to the floor as his fly spell goes away.
Jakara is now in position, and begins shooting the skulvyns with his outsider-bane longbow, which he has bless weaponed, and kills three hounds with one volley! Yeah!
Malaforte, Annie, and Solaral have retreated around the corner, and Malaforte uses the wand of cure light wounds on Annie and Solaral. They swap daggers, so Solaral has the cold iron dagger, which she can make “good.”
Alobar uses his staff to create a wall of ice between us and Kala, blocking Kala’s line of sight to us. Kala has to use an action to destroy it, and Alobar adds another one next round, as well.
Solaral summons a huge snake next to Kala, and it bites him and attempts to grapple. Its bite does 14 hp, but is unable to overcome the DR. Even bigger crap! It then fails the grapple check. We are trying to keep Kala occupied while we finish the skulvyns.
The couatls cast fireballs, killing 1 of the 3 remaining skulvyns.
Jakara looses another volley of arrows, killing the remaining 2 skulvyns.
Two of the couatls use some teleporting ability to swap places with Alobar, and Malaforte, positioning them to attack Kala with magic from either side. Alobar and Malaforte look like wrens, now, too.

Finally, time for the main event.

Enias realizes that Kala is just a major image or projected image, like the water demon we fought earlier. He relays the warning through all the couatls. Malaforte can see invisibility, but we don’t see the real Kala anywhere. Jakara can detect demons, though, and he immediately begins focusing on the water. Sure enough, he detects one, and relays the location. Solaral dimension doors down to the water (she has cast waterwalking already) and prepares to strike. Kala surges out of the water and onto the stone platform. Solaral gets an attack of opportunity, and rolls a 40. She misses! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We might be in a little trouble here. After the battle, we learn that Kala has been taking a minimum of 5 on his combat expertise, and he has dodge and mobility, as well.
Malaforte casts a quickened regular blast, and then an acid blast at Kala. The quickened blast rolls a 24 to bypass SR – no luck. The acid blast ignores SR, and though Kala has some acid resistance, he takes damage.
Kala starts to slap Solaral around in melee. She is getting 7 attacks per round with haste, and is raging (Barbarian) and in a holy fury (Hellreaver) and regularly rolling mid to high 30s, and hits him only 4 times over several rounds. And two hits weren’t really hits, because she has to try and avoid looking at him (20% miss chance), due to passive gaze effects, as she doesn’t have Protection from Evil. When Kala hits Solaral, she takes Con damage, too. The others are hurrying over to help out, but she and Kala are far from the tunnel entrance. Kala also hits Solaral with a greater dispel magic, and it strips most, but not all of her buffs. Of course, it has no effect on the Rage and the Holy Fury.
Jakara starts peppering Kala with his arrows, but he is running out.
Malaforte voluntarily takes 1 point of Con damage, and launches a maximized empowered 12d6 hellfire blast (Hellfire warlock). He hits, and gets past the SR, and does 94 points of damage! Yeah! He tries this the next 2 rounds, but can’t bypass the SR (and he gets +17 for spell penetration and greater spell penetration).
Annie and Enias arrive and start striking at Kala. He can’t be flanked. Crap. Fortunately, he has some difficulty hitting us, too. We later learn he was trying power attacks and missing, so had to stop those. He kept his attack lowered to keep up the AC with combat expertise, and when he tried to power attack, the combined score off his attack was too much.
The couatls are continually buffing us up with 1st thru 3d level spells, all they have left. Lesser restorations and fly come in particularly handy.
Enias charges and smashes the great black pearl with his greatsword, as we suspect Kala is getting power from it. No such luck. It was just a normal, 20,000 gp black pearl, and we cut it in half. Oh well. Them’s the breaks.
Jakara gets a critical hit with an arrow, and does 51 points of damage (DR makes it 36) on Kala, and he dies! Jakara killed 6 of 7 in this fight.

A couple of loud roars shake the temple, and Kala’s body bursts apart, and then melts away. We also suddenly understand that we have Demogorgon’s attention.

Session 46 – Gettin’ Rich - 22 Jan 2009

The party is now 15th level:
Father Seamus: Cleric 13 / Sacred Exorcist 2
Alobar: Wizard 15
Enias Fal: Binder 15
Ugly Annie ( Enias' cohort): Swashbuckler 9/Uncanny Trickster 2/Rogue 2
Solaral: Ranger 12/Barbarian 1/Hellreaver 1/Wildrunner 1
Malaforte: Warlock 11 / Hellfire Warlock 3
Jakara: Ranger 5 / Totemic Demon Slayer 10

This was a strange session, for D&D. No combat! After Kala died, we begin exploring the place, using Search and Detect Magic, and Detect Evil, and Detect Demon (we have all at will). We start out in the big room, and grab the two halves of the big pearl, of course. Father Seamus is able to cast Make Whole on it the following day, so its brand new, again, and still worth 20,000 gp. That’s a great 2d level cleric spell! There is nothing we find under the water or from Kala or elsewhere in the big room. The stairs at the far end appear to leave to the outside, but it is closed by a cave in.

We check the 8 smaller rooms around the perimeter. 5 of the rooms are full of Olman funery urns, and we leave them alone. 1 room is the same, but has a whole in the floor, full of water, and leading to a tunnel. We don’t go down it. The 7th room appears to be a bedroom, and we discover its where Father Gnoltus was held. Remains here make it appear that he was eaten. We take his stuff, such as celestial armor, and periapt of wisdom +4, and continue on. We’ll put it to good use. The 8th room appears to be a lab of some kind, with a lot of shadow pearl residue and Kala spit, and other alchemical substances. Some function in the shadow pearl process appears to have taken place here. There is a large hole in one wall, and it leads to a cave that is full of skulls. There are several hundred, and they all appear to be Olman. We think that sacrifices have something to do with shadow pearl manufacture, and with several hundred skulls, we wonder just how many shadow pearls have been made. Enias grabs a few skulls, so we can talk to them later about what they went through. There is another exit from the skull cave, that leads back to the grotto with the steam and mud.

Back in the steam and mud grotto, we take the time to search the bodies of the 12 kopru we killed earlier. We end up with 12 sets of +3 studded leather armor and 24 potions of fly. We are very happy. At one end of the grotto, we find an ancient Olman throne, with a skeletal figure on it. A bastard sword and a ring on the skeleton glow with strong magic. We are considering leaving it all alone, as a holy Olman place, but Jakara tells us that it’s a bit strange – the figure is dressed as a priest, but seated on a throne. It doesn’t ring true to him as genuine Olman. He okays our taking of the two items, if we return them when the “evil is defeated.” We take a broad view of the meaning of “defeated.” The sword is a Sunblade (Solaral will use), and the ring is a ring of telekinesis (Father Seamus will use this).

At this point, we use the throne area to set up a rope trick, and rest. Father Seamus has loaded up on water breathing, so that we can examine the watery tunnels leading from the grotto, because we know the kopru are water creatures. We decide to go only a little ways, but we quickly come to a series of underwater kopru rooms, and quite a bit of loot, of the monetary kind. Additionally, we find a trident of the waves and 4 potions of cure serious wounds.

We begin making our way back up the temple, checking out all of the areas we had previously bypassed. We search a room full of fishing nets and gear, and then come to a giant oyster room. There are oysters all around the room, and 6 are huge, and have black and red strips and horns. They are abyssal oysters. We go back to the fishing room, and get nets and hooks, and open these babies up. Each of the 6 has a 1,000 gp pearl, which we take, of course. Then we blow up the oysters, so no one else can use them. We figure these are where the shadow pearls begin their life.

In another room, we find alchemical stuff, including a box of powdered gemstones, which Alobar takes. We come to a very complicated alter room – it’s the one where we use the stone of the sun and moon. Eventually, we figure the puzzle out, and the presence of 3 gods is felt. A bow of stars is formed in the air, and Jakara steps forward to take it. It is the Nimbus bow, a +2 shocking burst longbow, which adds the wielder’s strength bonus, whatever it is. Its +4 vs reptiles, dragons, earth-types, and does +1d6 damage against them. The user can also control winds, warp wood, and Summon Nature’s Ally V (arrowhawk). Not a bad bow, but near useless against powerful demons, who are immune to electricity, and not reptile, dragon, or earth. In another room, we find a giant flesh jelly ooze, and kill it. We come to a statue of a ziggurat in another room, and symbols on it lead Jakara to give blood (and Con points) for some mysterious magical protection. As we exit the temple, we encounter numerous magical traps, but they don’t go off, because of Jakara’s sacrifice!

We go outside, and follow a path rife with skinwalker tracks. We come to an encampment that is empty but for 1 tiefling. He says his name is Throgeth, and he is a rep of the Crimson fleet. He’s quite afraid that we will kill him, and he offers up info to save his life, and then to get us to take him to Farshore. We take most of his magic, too. He says the pearls all go through Scuttlecove and Lavinia is most certainly there. He confirms that Vanthus is back, as undead, and a lieutenant in the Crimson Fleet. The ledger he has with him has listed 160 sacrifices of Olmans, with 23 of them “special.” It also lists 44 pearls sent to Scuttlecove this year and 35 of them arrived.

We send a sending to Rock and the other Trogs from Gnoltus’ party, to let them know what’s happened. They reply that they will stay to hunt skinwalkers. We approve. We teleport back to Farshore with Throgeth, and find most of the citizens still preparing to leave. We stop them, tell our tale, and throw a big party in a big magical tent with our new rod of splendor. We then teleport to the Blue Nixie, and convince Marivanchi to turn around. He doesn’t like it, but we get everyone else aboard to make up their minds to return.

While we sleep, the members of the original party, Enias, Solaral, and Alobar, receive a dream message from Harliss, the hot, fiery, sword chick from the harbor where the first shadow pearl exploded. She wants revenge on Vanthus and the Crimson Fleet, and offers an alliance. She confirms Vanthus is an undead monster, and promises her own aid, and the aid of “the protectorate.” She will be waiting for us at an establishment call the “Red Foam Whaling.”

Session 47 – Ambush at Red Foam Whaling, AKA The Second Death of Malaforte, Who is Seriously Considering Just Rising As Undead, to Save Everyone the Trouble – 26 Feb 09

In Sasserine to make magic and sell stuff, and buy stuff, we receive a message from our sponsors. We have three missions: Stop the ritual with the pearls that Demogorgon cultists are planning; Rescue Lavinia; Savage the Crimson Fleet. We are specifically warned that while the Crimson Fleet is fair game, the Scarlet Brotherhood is not. We are also alerted that we have attracted extra-planar attention. Lastly, we are given a divine scroll to help us, with 3 uses of Revivify on it. As you shall see, we could have used all 3, but had to make do with two. Father Seamus tries a Discern Location (8th level spell) to locate Lavinia, but it is blocked by a demonic divine entity.
We research Scuttlecove, and discover a few things. It is also known as The City of Redemption, and The City of Sin, and Troubletown. It was founded by a group of Ur-priests. The local enforcers are a group of canabalistic monks, each of whom only eats of his or her own race. The Ur-priests disappeared several years ago, after a huge storm, and since then demonic worship has sprung up in town. Scuttlecove has 6 factions vying for power. The Crimson Fleet. A drug dealing faction called the Narcos, whose leader is an ugly, powerful wizard with a companion imp. The Dire Hunger Monks, who are the canabalistic ones. The Porfury House, a fey brothel. The Protectorate. The 7th Coil, a group of Yuan-ti slavers. Malaforte will soon come to dislike Yuan-ti and Assassins, as he dislikes demons and symbols. The city has 17000 to 18000 people, mostly human, with about 1,000 Yuan-ti, and a lot of tieflings and half-elves, and some gnomes and Halflings.
The group teleports to Farshore, to get a map of Scuttlecove from the sunken Hellfish. We discover that Vanthus’ grave looks like something crawled out. We then teleport to the Blue Nixie, and have Lyrith sail us into Scuttlecove harbor, and dock the ship. We had had the ship loaded with trade goods, so we leave Lyrith with instructions to try to sell them, and we leave her a thunderstone to call us for aid, and Solaral leaves an Alarm spell on the ship, with a mental trigger to her.
We decide to immediately head for Red Foam Whaling, but the city is so tough and rough and crowded, that we have to make an intimidate check just to get through the crowd. With help from the party, Malaforte takes the lead, and rolls a 49 for the check. No problem. We get to Red Foam Whaling, which is an old whale processing facility that sits on the edge of the harbor. It appears shut and empty, and we detect no magic, demons, or evil from outside. We proceed up some outside stairs, and into the open air ship bay in the middle. On the far side, we see Harliss, who is lying on the ground and looks beat up. Solaral and Father Seamus go over to her and heal her. Solaral is on watch. Unfortunately, we didn’t so our detections inside the building!
Harliss reaches up and kisses Father Seamus, and drains a level – it’s a succubus! Then 4 Yuan-ti pop in (they were hiding as small snakes). That’s their surprise round action, and then we roll initiative. The Yuan-ti beat the entire party with a 24 or 25, and get to go first while everyone is still flat footed. Three of them are assassins, and they strike Alobar, Solaral, and Malaforte. Solaral and Malaforte fail their saves vs the death attack, and die! CRAP! Its like a 22 Fort, or something. The 4th Yuan-ti is a Blackguard, and he attacks Annie, hurting her badly. She tumbles away, and drinks a healing potion. Enais strikes one of the assassins and nearly kills it. Alobar uses D-door to escape across the room. Father Seamus casts revivify on Solaral, which brings her to -1. Jakara casts Arrow Mind on himself and begins shooting with his bow. He kills the one wounded by Enias, with his first arrow, and shoots 3 more arrows at another assassin. The assassin who killed Solaral tries to bluff/feint Father Seamus, and sneak attack him (they get 5d6 on their sneak attacks) but fails. One throws a force bead at Jakara and Alobar, that also becomes an Otiluke’s resilient sphere. Jakara makes the save and escapes, but Alobar doesn’t and is imprisoned. The Blackguard, who is large, attacks Jakara with a scimitar and hits him 3 or 4 times, hits him with a touch attack for 4 Con damage, hits him with another touch attack, then another full attack action from the scimitar, and bites him too, and Jakara is at -6. CRAP! This guy did 120 hp of melee damage on Jakara in one round. He’s obviously a thrall of demogorgon, with the two full attack actions.
Annie throws dragon bile poison on the Blackguard, but it doesn’t seem to affect him. Enias charges the Succubus, using his pounce ability from Chucoclops, and critical hits and kills her. Yeah! Alobar destroys the Otiluke’s sphere from the inside with dispel magic. Father Seamus casts Heal on Solaral, who remains prone and attacks the assassin from the ground, getting several hits in. This assassin backs away and throws a force bead at Father Seamus and Solaral, but they both make their save to avoid imprisonment. The Blackguard pulls out a big bow and fires at Alobar, a total of 5 arrows in his 2 full actions, with pulling out the bow, and drops Alobar to -6 too. Double crap. Annie tries to stab the Blackguard, and misses. She is tumbling and spring attacking in and out. Enias charges the big guy and does a whirlwind breath, of scouring sand. Solaral charges one in the air (the assassins are flying to get away from us), with her winged boots, and hits him. The remaining assassins are shooting arrows at Enias and Solaral. Annie keeps striking at the Blackguard. Enias grabs Jakara, who is now at -8, and drags him to Alobar, who is also at -8. Enias takes an AoO from the Blackguard, and is now only at 14 hp. Father Seamus then casts Mass Cure Light Wounds on all. Alobar stays on the ground, and casts a delayed blast fireball at the big Blackguard, delay set to 0, to get 16d6 of fire damage. He makes the save, but is hurt. He had SR, but Alobar penetrated. Solaral kills one of the two assassins in the air, and one is left. The Blackguard keeps firing his bow at Alobar, and kills him dead this time! -16 hp. Triple crap! Fortunately, Father Seamus is right there, and casts revivify on Alobar, bringing him to -1. Enias goes ethereal to escape. Annie flys up and flanks the last flying assassin for Solaral, who wails on him, nearly killing him. Jakara slips off the bridge, and flys underneath, to heal some more. The Blackguard fires arrows at Annie, but only 1 hits. Enias comes out of ethereal, now that Father Seamus isn’t so busy, and gets healed.
Solaral summons a huge snake (giant constrictor snake) who hits and grapples with the Blackguard. Yes!! The Blackguard tries to charm the snake – crap – she didn’t think about a snake on snake situation – but the snake makes its save! The Blackguard rises in the air, carrying the snake, but he is still grappled. Enias charges and hits him. Annie charges and stabs him. Alobar casts fell magic missile on him. Solaral charges, flanks, and hits him. The snake does crushing damage. And then Jakara fires more arrows, hitting the snake once, but the Blackguard twice, and kills him. The remaining, injured Yuan-ti assassin has apparently run away. Malaforte is still dead.
We quickly loot the bodies, and decide to continue a quick search of the place, for the real Harliss. We are under a time crunch, as Alobar’s rather large fireball may have drawn attention.
Should Malaforte be allowed to rest in peace? Should he be raised from the dead? Should he be resurrected? Stay tuned.

Session 48 – And Another One Bites the Dust – 12 March 2009

We are still at Red Foam Whaling. We pick up all the bodies and put them in the portable hole – the succubus, the big blackguard, 2 yuan-ti assassins, and Malaforte. We then check out the interior of the building, while Jakara keeps watch for anyone coming. We find 2 barracks rooms, recently occupied by 6 humans each. Another room is a meeting room, and then the last room is a bunkhouse, that is also a gross shrine to Demogorgon, with a likeness of Demogorgon in the corner. We find some jewelry and a few other valuable things. We also find a bag-o-magic, with a great many items, that we believe belong to Harliss. The bag also contains a note: “Esteemed Tyralandi. Aide the bearer of this note. You can just her. Simon Alonvir.” Tyralandi is the proprietress of the Porfury house, the fey brothel. We teleport back into the ship’s hold. Lyrith and Annie let us know that some monks appear to be approaching the building to check it out. From the assassin’s bodies, we find +1 keen daggers, +2 comp longbows (+4 Str), potions of CSW and potions of fly, magic mithral shirts +1, and cloaks of resistance +3, as well as a bead of force. The big blackguard had a breastplate +3, Comp longbow +3 (+8 Str), 20 cold iron arrows, greater archery bracers, belt of giant str +4, ring of prot +2, and a potion.

We decide that the city is too dangerous right now, and elect to stay on the ship the remainder of the day to rest. We notice about a half dozen people sureptiously watch us, and Alobar spots some winged bald ugly thing watching, too. In the early evening, Solaral’s alarm spell goes off, and Jakara and two sailors on deck are attacked! Two more of the Yuan-ti assassins. One misses a sailor, and then the second hits Jakara, and kills him with the death attack. Crapola! Solaral runs up on deck, and then Father Seamus jaunts up and pulls a scroll to revivify Jakara. Annie runs/climbs up from the stern windows. A yuan-ti throws a bead of force at Annie and Father Seamus, but they both make their saves, although they take force damage. The 2d Yuan-ti strikes and kills the sailor it had missed with the death attack, and then strikes and misses at Solaral. Solaral attacks it and gets 5 hits, but it’s still standing. Father Seamus, too late to help Jakara, casts Power Word Blind on the other, blinding him. It throws its dagger at Father Seamus, but misses him. The other feints at Solaral, succeeds, and stabs her. Annie stabs it. Alobar casts chain lighting, a 5th level spell, but both make their saves and have evasion. No Damage. That freakin’ sucks. Lyrith yells at the crew to stay below decks. Enias is now up, and kills the one that Solaral had wounded – this is the one that killed the sailor. Solaral flies up to the second, near Father Seamus and blind. Father Seamus heals Annie, who moves in and stabs the remaining assassin. The Yuan-ti feints and succeeds, and bites Solaral. She has been bluffed by both, now. Somehow, this assassin is now dead. I forget who killed him.

Lyrith jumps down to the dock, to get the dagger that missed Father Seamus, when 8 humans run out of the shadows and attack! They are obviously hasted. They have scimitars and crossbows. Solaral uses a prayer healing bead on herself. Father Seamus casts resurrection from a scroll on Jakara. 3 of the humans swing scimitars at Lyrith. 2 climb over the ship’s railing and breath flame on Alobar, who fortunately makes both saves. The other 3 fire crossbows. Annie charges the ones next to Lyrith, but jumping from the ship to the dock, and stabs one. Father Seamus casts an area dispel magic on the crossbow men, and only removes 1 of 2 effects from 1 of the 3 shooters. The 3 swordsmen all then breathe fire on Annie, but she makes all 3 saves, and takes no damage due to her ring of evasion! Ha ha! Annie then dodges past 1 and causes him to strike and deal sneak attack damage to his flat footed buddy, then attempts to trip two of them, but fails both times. Valiant effort, though. Lyrith is down quite a few hit points (she is currently 8th level after two deaths and two reincarnations) and so dives into the water and using the cloak of the manta ray, swims under the ship and climbs back up the side. Jakara kills one of the flame breathers near the side with arrows. Solaral casts confusion on the 3 crossbowmen, and 1 fails the save and attacks one of his buddies. The other two breathe flame on Solaral, who makes both saves and takes no damage. We are definitely a high-reflex party, but our Fort and Will saves suck. Alobar casts magic missiles and kills one of them near Solaral. Enias kills 1, then 2, then 3. Lyrith and the crossbowmen/crew, which are now on deck, fire at and kill one. Solaral then kills the remaining two. Again, we take all the bodies on board.

We now have 15 bodies on boards, including Malaforte. It’s like a morgue. The two assassins have gear similar to the other two we killed. The 8 humans, who appeared to be working separately from the assassins, have jewelry, potions of CWS and invisibility, doses of giant wasp poison and death blade poison, and masterwork chain, bucklers, light crossbows, and scimitars.

We then hear a beautiful voice say to us: “Capt Harliss is luck to have such friends as fine as you.” It’s a sending. What do we do now? Simple. We rest through the night, and then Father Seamus attempts to scry for Harliss. SUCCESSS!!! She is hanging, near death, in a cage in a torture chamber, with flapping wings and beautiful voices. We figure the harpies have her in the Birdcage. What the hell? How did that happen? What’s going on? We have been attacked by humans, Yuan-ti, and then contacted by presumed harpies, who have our contact in a cage.

Session 49 – Street Brawl – 26 March 2009

Hurrah! No one died! This was a good, old-fashioned street brawl, with some tavern crawling thrown in afterward. We start off by raising Malaforte from the dead. He is now 13th level – the same as Annie the cohort. WTF! We heal Malaforte with all 3 beads from the two prayer necklaces, and a potion from his body. We then decide to go gem hunting, for supplies for Raise Dead, Resurrection, and Revivify.

First thing we do is have Alobar cast Veil on the party. Everyone is a different race, and some are different sexes, and different heights, from normal. This is to foil an assassin’s death attack. The assassin must be able to see, and must study – but the veil is pierced only with interaction, and a will save. The idea is that the assassin will study the “wrong” type of creature, and when he/she/it attacks, will not get the death attack. Of course, we have our Heroes Feast in the morning, and invite Lyrith and the entire crew to join in. Off we go, with Annie as a ghoul, Enias as an Ogre mage, Father Seamus as a dwarf, Jakara as a Tiefling, Malaforte as a gnome, and Solaral as a half-orc. Alobar - I forget.

We decide to go to the local trading emporium to look for diamonds. We end up with 5,000 gp worth of diamonds, after giving up about 6,000 gp worth of jewelry, etc. A man trying to sell magic wands and other items bothers up, but we blow him off. We decide that now is the time to head for a tavern, the Rusty Shunt, to begin asking around, about Harliss, and Lavinia, and Vanthus, and shadow pearls, etc. However, on the way there, Crimson Fleet recruiters attack, right in the middle of the street. 3 x bar-lguras throw themselves at us, but we kill them quite handily, as 3 more attack us from the other side. 1 of the 6 manages to teleport away, but dropping Alobar, who made his Will save to keep from being forcibly removed. Although it would have been funny to play through – how long does an ape last, when he kidnaps a 15th level wizard? My guess would be – “not long.”

As we are finishing with the bar-lguras, and a crowd is watching, 4 of those damn Yuan-ti assassins strike at us with bows. We suspect they were working with the recruiters. Enias imprisons one in the earth, with but a touch. Another one of his odd yet effective bindings. We slay a second, and the other two withdraw and run away. We wait for the imprisoned one to come back up (it lasts 15 rounds) and then slay him. Meanwhile, the crowd has surged forward to strip the bodies, before even we can! Enias performs a major image, and brings forth the image of a T-Rex. The crowd backs off. We strip the 5 bar-lguras, and the two assassins, and proceed to the Rusty Shunt.

The Shunt is considered the safest tavern in Scuttlecove. The proprietor is a bounty hunter wanted in a lot of countries. Eventually, we manage to learn that Harliss was with the Protectorate (what/who are they?) in Red Foam Whaling, and they were overcome (by whom?) and taken to the Sisters of Lamentation, or the harpies, in their tower called the Birdcage, who are torturing them. Apparently the harpies used to run a brothel, but couldn’t compete with the Porfury House, run by the half-fiend nympho, Tyralandi. So now the harpies run an information clearing house. There are supposed to be 6-20 harpies in the Birdcage.

Session 50 – April 2d, 2009 – Harpy Smackdown

From the Rusty Shunt, we begin moving toward the Birdcage. We figure we are being watched, but its our intention of going straight there and rescue Harliss. We figure that the harpies are evil, so screw diplomacy and talking. We are going to buff up, fly up to the top, break in, and start killing Harpies. The idea of going through the top is that we figure the harpies will have traps set to activate against those entering from the ground. We are all still under Heroe’s feast for the day.
We approach the birdcage and start flying. Malaforte and Father Seamus have gone invisible, to hang back, and get the drop on any particularly powerful opponents. We get to the top, which is like a wooden top hot on a stone building, and Enias makes an architecture and engineering check to realize that it is just an architectural adornment to the building and has no entrance. CRAP! We fly down to the front door, because we see no windows. So much for surprise. Malaforte can’t detect any illusions covering any other entrances, either.
There is a provocatively dressed human male in the antechamber, who offers us drinks. We decline, tie him up, and Alobar uses a scroll to cast knock on the inner door (we don’t have a real rogue). It bangs open and we move in. The main building is one big, 60’ high room, with a giant cage hanging in the center, and a balcony surrounding it at 15’. We hear voices screeching and hear some flapping, but see no harpies, just some more human slaves. Annie runs up to the balcony, and Solaral summons an Arrowhawk, who flys up to the ceiling. Father Seamus casts Holy Aura on the party (most excellent spell). The rest of the party move in and spread out. The Arrowhawk spots a harpie, but is brought under its singing spell – it was out of Holy Aura range when the spell was cast. Several other voices are singing, but everyone is immune, due to the Holy Aura, and some have the layered protection of Protection from Evil circles and spells. We also hear giggling come from a small cage inside the big cage.
Eventually we realize there are three harpies in the hall, and as we engage them, three more fly in from outside, and then three more again. The harpies’ slaves all run away. Father Seamus summons two air elementals to help out, and we eventually kill all 9 harpies that we find. Why 6 were outside, and why they had to come in through a ground level door, I don’t know, but it was a crappy set up for the harpies, and they got slaughtered, while we took minimal casualties. There was some sort of little undead demon guy in the cage, and Enias summoned a wall of iron to fall on him, while he and Annie then stabbed him as he struggled underneath the iron. Eventually, he was killed.
Harliss was in the bottom of the cage, in a near catatonic state. We healed her, but she wouldn’t talk inside the hall. We searched the several side rooms, and found little of note, beyond a locked chest, some papers from a desk, and two wounded and tortured souls, a female elf and a male half-elf. Go cohorts! The little guy had some strange writings in his cage, and we took those, too. Enias kept a wall of iron in front of the front door to discourage crowds, and we looted 8 of the harpies. The 9th was pursued into the street and killed their by an air elemental, and the crowd got the loot.
Enias suggests that we take over the birdcage, as our own base of operations, instead of using the ship. We could even have the ship sail away, as a decoy, while we teleport back inside the birdcage. Its worth considering.

Session 51 – The Minting House - 9 Apr 2009

So we are in the birdcage, and its ours. We decide to make a statement, and begin hanging all the bodies we have collected, from the roof, by their heels – or what passes for heals. It adds up to 27 bodies in all: 7 x Yuan-ti assassins, 8 x human brigands, 9 x harpies, 1 x succubus, and 1 x little demon undead guy.
We spend the night, sending the three recently released captives up into the space of a rope trick spell. In the morning, we all partake of a Heroes Feast and we ask Harliss about what’s going on. Harliss asks after Furmella and the hot head, Brogan. She doesn’t seem surprised that Brogan is dead. Harliss has heard that the location of the Crimson Fleet can be found with the Yuan-ti, who are known as the 7th Coil. This is because their leader supposedly has 6 heads, and so refers to all the others as his seventh. We are happy at the thought of attacking the Yuan-ti, whom are due for some payback, in Malaforte’s and Jakara’s eyes. Harliss knows where their “secret” lair is, in a building called the Minting House. She believes Lavinia and Vanthus would be with the fleet, so that’s where we need to go.
Before we can get to business, however, we have a little housekeeping to take care of here. Some of the former slaves of the harpies come back to see what’s going on. We hire them to clean the place up and continue to staff it. We tell them to keep deferring visitors to “next week” for appointments. We get introduced to the new girls. Xanaphia, a druid/wizard/arcane hierophant, is a wise woman from Solaral’s extended elf tribe, come looking for her. Kundra, a half-elf rogue/spellthief/shadowdancer, has some connection to Alobar, that remains to be revealed.
Before we can leave, a patrol from the Dire Hunger monks stops by, and they ask for the 8 human bodies that we have hung. Solaral goes up and cuts them down for the Monks, who grab them up and depart with a little more spring in their step.
Next, a representative from Kedward Bone stops by. He is the necromancer. The rep appears to be addicted to some drug. He is an aristocratic human male named Rook. “Master Bone” wishes are presence at his tower, to discuss business. We say we will drop by sometime in the next few days.
Then, as we are preparing, once again, to depart, a rep from Tyralandi comes by. She is a succubus named Sucretia, who is Tyralandi’s herald. Tyralandi would like to bestow a “freebie” on us and chat business. Tyralandi expects us tonight at 2100 hours, which is 2 hours after sunset. We don’t know if we will make it, and told Sucretia that. She got a little upset. Solaral wanted to kill her.
Finally, we leave for the 7th Coil’s secret lair. We leave the birdcage while under a Veil spell, looking like Dire Hunger monks. When we get to the Minting House, we proceed through the front door. Kundra has “open lock.” Yeah! It takes a while, as we are a party of 10, when Harliss is included. As we are proceeding inside, three Yuan-ti spellcasters appear in the air, outside and above us, and start hurling things down. Alobar casts Haste, Xanaphia casts Interfaith Blessing, and Father Seamus casts Holy Aura, so we are pretty well set up, with everyone under Heroes Feast, still, as well. The casters are trying charms, and black rays of energy (level draining, we find out). We decide to get everyone inside, and away from the casters, after Annie flies up, and makes herself a bit of a target. As everyone runs inside, we hear footsteps running upstairs. Solaral runs to the stairs coming down, and intercepts 2 humans. They try to rush past, and breathe fire on her, but with her reflexes and evasion, it’s a lost cause for them. Over the next two rounds, she kills them.
Meanwhile, 2 more Yuan-ti spellcasters run up the stairs from the basement, followed by 3 more humans. Additionally, 2 of the 3 flying Yuan-ti spellcasters come to windows and start throwing spells inside. However, our party is in its element, a tight space with lots of people, and start the buzzsaw. The 3 humans from downstairs are quickly killed, as well as the 2 Yuan-ti from downstairs. We kill 1 of the 2 at the windows, and injure the 2d. He flies away with the remaining caster, who had remained outside the front door. We also hear more thugs, sounding human, jumping out the windows or off the roof, onto surrounding buildings. We let them go, as we start tossing the joint, and looting the bodies. We get some cloaks of charisma +4, rings of prot +3, and +1 shock daggers, as well as some scrolls, potions, jewelry, and poison. More importantly, we find a shrine to Demogorgon, and a map of the island which Scuttlecove sits on, with the secret location of the Crimson Fleet clearly marked. YES!

Any updates?

Session 51 – Mayhem in the Harem - 7 May 09

Basically, we see 4 options ahead of us for the remainder of this day. We can visit Tyralandi tonight, or earlier. We can visit Kedric Bone. We can visit the Dire Hunger monks (DHM)-. Or we can gather info in town. We decide to do nothing immediately, but head back for the birdcage. Along the way, we hear rumors of the DHM picking up (arresting?) a couple of strangers in town. A woman, and an Olman savage. When we get back to the birdcage, our new servants also tell us of the rumors about the woman and the savage. We think nothing of this. It will come back to haunt us.
Eventually, we go to meet with Kedrick Bone, the drug dealing wizard and necromancer. We learn that he is working with devils, a lawful influence. He is losing customers and agents to the Crimson Fleet’s press gangs, and feels the Dire Hunger Monks are no longer a force for law. He tells us that all of the leaders of the Crimson Fleet are half-Lemurians. They use dominations and charms, unholy aura, and summonings. The Crimson Fleet commander (Admiral?) is Captain Withers. Vanthus is even more powerful than Captain Withers. Fortunately for us, many of the normal captains in the Crimson Fleet rebelled, when they found out something about Vanthus or the half-Lemurians. We aren’t sure. But most of the Crimson Fleet is away from their secret base, out chasing the mutineers. We have about 2 weeks, before they are expected to return. Kedrick Bone warns us to be careful, however, as the base is surrounded by a guard system, which consists of prisoners hung up on streetlamps, who have been promised their freedom if they spot intruders. Harliss is of the opinion that we attack straight away – “Destroy Captain Withers, and the fleet will crumble.”
We wait until nightfall and the appointed time, and go to visit Tyralandi at the Porfury House. It is a large edifice of purple basalt. We are taken to a harem room, where we meet Sucretia, Carnelia, and Genetalia, three succubi in Tyralandi’s employ. Shortly, a big guy named Caer walks in, obviously some hired muscle, and then Tyralandi shows up. We get down to business, and not the kind you are thinking. Tyralandi begins trying to get us to attack the DHM. She claims they have a magic bow, that is a minor or major artifact, with 6-8 powers, that will help us attack the Crimson Fleet. She also tells us that Lyrith and one of our crewmen were the two picked up by the DMH – the ones we have been hearing rumors about. We are a bit dismissive.
WHAM – BAM!! 2 devils, deogai (assassin devils) pop out of the air and attack Tyralandi. Right in her own harem! We think this seems might convenient for her, especially since they try to hit, and don’t do much. But we are game, and move in. We also hear loud screaming from elsewhere in the building. Father Seamus kills one devil with a well-placed destruction spell (8th level). Xanaphia casts dispel magic on the 2d, killing 2 of 3 magical effects on it. 2 more assassin devils appear, just as Solaral kills the one that Xanaphia had cast her magic upon. Alobar tries a cone of cold, but it fizzles on them, failing to penetrate SR. Tyralandi calls down a flamestrike, but its not golden – rather a sickly kind of green. Perhaps is was unholy, or tainted, or vile? Jakara kills a third assassin devil with his arrows, and then Solaral kills the 4th. Of course, Enias, Kundra, Harliss, Annie, Malaforte got some licks in, too. And I don’t mean with the Succubi. The only treasure we get off these punks is a masterwork cold iron longsword. What a ripoff. Caer and his trio of “ladies” depart to deal with whatever is causing the screaming in the other rooms.
Tyralandi calls out 4 stone golems from the walls, to be her bodyguards now. She says these devils were sent from the DHM, to slay her. She offers us much gold to strike at their leader, a man known as “the master.” He is supposed to be protected by a shield guardian, and apparently the DHM have been trafficking with devils in order to fill the power void left by the disappearance of the Ur Priests. There is a pit fiend known as Turok who now lives in the DHM monastery, as well. After some negotiation, we settle on a price of 60,000 gp per party member who survives, information about the Crimson Fleet base, and Enias will get to have a child with Tyralandi. In return, we have to kill “the master” and Turok. Both – its an all or nothing deal. For the assault, Tyralandi can describe the interior of the monastery, and suggests we can teleport to the pantry, where prisoners may be kept, or the feast hall, which is close to “the master’s” chambers.
Its an interesting deal. If we only kill 1, Tyralandi gets something for nothing. If we kill both, she got good results for her coin, and not traceable to her. For our part, we want to rescue our crew members, so we are inclined to attack the DHM for free. If we get something from Tyralandi for doing it, its like free money. Who has the better deal?

Session 52 – Vile Victuals – 14 May 09

We argue deep into the night, trying to decide what to do, and end up bedding down in Tyralandi’s harem. Alone. There are ten of us, to be sure, but we sleep alone. We haven’t decided if we want to ignore the whole thing, as its likely a trap (Enias and Annie and Harliss) or if we want to talk to the DHM (Solaral uncharacteristically – perhaps its Xanafia’s influence? And Malaforte) or immediately teleport in and start slaying, because the DHM is an evil organization anyway (Alobar, Kundra, Father Seamus, Jakara). As we wake up, refreshed for the new day, we hit upon the scheme of using a locate object spell to detect for the location of a piece of jewelry that Lyrith normally wears, a nose ring. Its nonmagical, so perhaps she still has it, if she really is a prisoner of the DHM. Or the spell may point to the location of the Blue Nixie. Or somewhere else, or nowhere. Fortunately, it’s a long range spell, so Father Seamus can cover just about the whole of the city. He casts the spell, and it locate’s Lyrith’s nose ring, precisely in the center of the DHM monastery. We make the decision to teleport in and start slaying.
We prepare. Heroe’s Feast is our mainstay, of course, be we get other things ready. Mass fire resistance 30, mass dark vision, barkskins and protections & circles from evil, longstrider, deathward, mage armor, sonic weapons, shield, and heart of earth. Alobar will greater teleport us in, but can only do himself plus 5 more. Annie will carry the portable hole, with Solaral, Xanaphia, Kundra, and Harliss inside (all women – is there something going on here?). Alobar casts Haste on everyone, and then he teleports.
Tyralandi has given us a rough map of the exterior, and so we teleport into the feast hall. It is supposed to be close to the master’s chambers, and we wish to find and kill him, before he can link up with the Pit Fiend, Turok. That’s the plan, anyway, but as we teleport in, we appear before a table, behind which stands Turok! He does not seem surprised to see us. There are also 4 monks, one of whom is dressed differently, standing with him. Crap! Lyrith is here, too, laid out on the table like a feast. Chunks of her are missing, but she is still alive! We can save her!
We get a surprise round, and Alobar immediately casts a 15d6 cone of cold. He is so excited, that he forgot about Lyrith, and she takes the brunt of it, and dies. Oh well, she is out of her misery, at least, and its not like it hasn’t happened before. We’ll raise her once again. Fortunately, the blast kills three of the monks, and damages the odd one, and Turok as well. Alobar got through all their SRs!

Malaforte quicken eldritch blasts Turok, but only gets a 28 to pass SR, and it fizzles. He then casts an acid blast, which bypasses SR, on the remaining monk, the odd one out, but the monk takes no damage from it. Crud!
Annie throws down the portable hole.
Jakara initiates his dampen summoning ability, to prevent Turok from bringing in help.
Solaral D-doors herself, Xanaphia, Kundra, and Harliss out ofthe portable hole.
Father Seamus casts Holy Aura.
Kundra sneak attacks Turok with an arrow, and steals his acid resistance (yeah, spellthieves). It also does 12 points of damage, but none penetrates his DR, so its at least 15, we figure.
Xanaphia casts shield on Solaral, from a wand.
Enias hits Turok, or tries to, but misses.
Harliss moves into position.
Annie moves into position.

Surprise round over.

Malaforte hits the monk with a quickened blast (is he the “the master?”) and beats SR, and hits Turok with an Acid blast, who takes it in full.
Alobar casts banish upon Turok, but fails to beat the SR.
Enias takes 4 attacks on Turok, and misses them all. His AC is way high!
Turok hits us all with his fear aura, which we can feel is very strong, but the Heroe’s feast makes us immune. Turok looks irritated.
Jakara shoots 4 silver arrows at Turok, and hits one.
Solaral moves to hit Turok with her Sunblade, and misses! (She rolled a 6). Turok got an AoO on Solaral, but with her DR 5, and the temp hp from Heroe’s feast, she takes only 6 hp damage.
Father Seamus casts destruction on the monk – BOOM! He wastes away immediately, leaving only his equipment. YES!!!!!!!!!!!! The master is dead!
Xanaphia casts greater mirror image on herself.
Kundra sneak attacks with an arrow, and tries to steal a spell effect from Turok, but they are all too high.
Harliss and Annie use aid another, to help Enias get hits on Turok.
Turok does a quickened fireball, which only does slight damage to Alobar, and none to anyone else. He then casts blasphemy, but fails to penetrate the party SR of 25, from holy aura. Turok looks even more irritated.
Malaforte casts a maximized empowered quickened eldritch blast on Turok, but fails to penetrate the SR. Crap. He then hits Turok with an acid blast.
Enias attacks Turok, putting all of his 11 BAB into power attack with the holy greatsword, and rolls 4 times, needed a 20 or a 1 (luck feat). A 20! He hits Turok for 49 points, who roars in anger.
Jakara shoots 4 more silver arrows at Turok and hits twice, for 20+ points each time.
Annie hits Turok with her rapier.
Solaral winds up for a round of 7 attacks (finally) but her first strike with the Sunblade, a smite from the Gargoyle crown, hits Turok, and kills him!

That was easy. We barely took any damage – only Alobar and Solaral took some. Solaral begins throwing the master’s stuff in a bag, and we decide we need to make a thunder run through the place, while our combat buffs are still active.
Father Seamus runs to a door and opens it, and there is a startled monk on the other side.
Kundra fires at this monk and misses.
Xanaphia runs to Lyrith’s body and checks on her. She is dead, all right.
Harliss runs to the 3 dead monk bodies, and begins looting them of amulets and bracers.
2 other monks run into the room from another door and begin wailing on Father Seamus. One goes blind from holy aura.
Father Seamus moves out of the way.
Solaral moves and attacks a monk – and misses!
Alobar puts a wall of ice across 3 of the doorways.
Xanaphia puts Lyrith’s body in the portable hole.
Kundra sneak attacks a monk with her bow, doing damage.
Malaforte flies up out of the way, taking a hit from a monk in the process, and then blasts him.
A monk hits Solaral with 1 of 4 attacks, but goes blind from the holy aura.
Solaral attacks the blind one, getting only a three hits in, from 7 attacks.

The monks are attacking us throughout, and doing vile damage, which we can’t heal. These guys are tough. We are beginning to suspect that one of them is the real “master” and the one that Father Seamus destructed was only a senior monk. Crap. We have determined there are at least 3 levels of monk, the juniors (14-15th level), the seniors (16-20th level) and the master (20+), based on demonstrated abilities, such as SR and number of attacks.

Jakara shoots more arrows at one, missing the first three. The 4th would have hit, but the monk catches it. Crap.
Enias is hit into negative hit points.
Father Seamus casts heal on Enias, but Enias has 40 vile points, which don’t heal.
Annie hits one with her rapier.
Xanaphia casts web and entables 3 of them.
The monks all disappear, using monkish abilities we presume.

After some quick discussion, we teleport out of there to Farshore, where we know we can heal the vile damage, in a good temple. Vile damage has to be magically healed in an area that has been consecrated or hallowed.

From the monks we looted, we get amulets of natural armor +2 and +4, bracers of armor +2 and +5, 2 potions of bears endurance, 2 potions of detect thoughts, 2 elixers of truth, and a belt of giant strength +4.

Now we must decide – go back and clean them out, and get paid by Tyralandi? Or head for the Crimson Fleet’s hideout? Solaral’s desire are clear – she would like to kill human monks, all day long.

28 May – The Pact – Session 54

We make our way to the temple on Farshore, of Pelor I believe, where we are able to heal the vile damage we took in the fight against the Dire Hunger Monks (DHM). Afterwards, we give an update to the Farshore town council. We explain that we believe Lavinia and Vanthus are in a secret pirate base of the Crimson Fleet, and we are searching for it. We also let on that Vanthus has been sending assassins after us, but we have killed them.
We create a Hidden Lodge, within a Mordenkainen’s Private Sanctum around Lavinia’s mansion, and try to get some rest. Shortly thereafter, we hear some shouting and smell burning wood. Solaral and Jakara go out to see what it is, and spy a small fire elemental. Upon our appearance, it turns into a small devil – an imp. He claims to be from Lady Glasia, the ruler of the 7th layer of Hell. She wants to talk to us, so we set a time of 1 hour, and a location in Lavinia’s manor.
We get set for anything, and the imp shows up at the appointed time. He says his name is Jzerpa. He is wearing a bracelet of powerful magic (symbols), that appears to be of artifact-like power. Jzerpa claims that Glasia is offering an alliance with us. After much discussion, we learn that Glasia wants us to leave the DHM alone and go immediately to attack the Crimson Fleet. Apparantly Turok the Pit Fiend was one of hers. The rules: if we don’t tell anyone, attack the CF in our next action, and not attack Glasia’s interests knowingly unless attacked first – then Glasia will grant us each a special power, such as an extra spell slot for Alobar, or an extra feat for Kundra, etc.
Father Seamus and Solaral are aghast to see that many of their comrades are considering taking the deal. Enias maneuvers the negotiations into an agreement that individuals can make the bargain, instead of the group as a whole. Eventually Enias, Annie, Harliss, Alobar, Kundra, and Jakara take the bargain and sign the deal. Jakara rationalized that these were devils, and he has been fighting demons on the Isle of Dread, and any help is good help. Malaforte was considering it, but as fates would have it, wasn’t given the chance to make a final decision.
The next morning, after much discussion, Jzerpa came back and took the oaths in a secret ceremony. As the group discussed attacking the Crimson Fleet, Jzerpa offered to come along, riding on Enias (who was recently and permanently enlarged), and offering his aid. It was too much for Solaral, the Hellreaver. She let out a yell, went into a wild frenzy raging holy fury and attacked Jzerpa. She cut at him with her full attack, doing over 100 hp of damage. Father Seamus then cast destruction on him, and then Malaforte hit him with a blast, and he died, taking his bracelet with him. Fairly powerful for an imp. The others hesitated and watched. Later, Jakara told Solaral that he had her back, and went and whispered his deal to a villager, tell the tale and breaking his contract.
Now, we will assault the Crimson Fleet.

Session 55 – Flying Fireballs, or “Alobar Rocks!” – 4 Jun 2009

We are on the Blue Nixie, sailing along the shoreline, looking for the spot on the map indicated as the secret base of the Crimson Fleet. We see nothing but swamp, so decide we have to try something different, and opt for a flying recon. Alobar casts invisibility on Xanaphia (party’s highest spot) and Malaforte (can see invisibility) and fly on Xanaphia (she can fly, but is happy to take someone else’s spell, and its faster) and the two fly up 1,000 feet above the ship, but don’t see anything different. The ship is about a mile offshore, so they fly halfway to shore, and Xanaphia, with her high spot and knowledge nature, is able to determine that a section of the swamp is a large illusion, but she can’t pierce it. The two fly up for another 1,000 feet, hoping to get a better look, and not act as if they have noticed something unusual.

As they are getting ready to head back, having noticed nothing more about the area, Malaforte sees 2 large, 120’ diameter globes of blackness fly out of the swamp and toward the two. Mal and Xan begin flying down and back to the ship, and Xan readies a scroll of teleport. If they spheres get within 100’, she will cast it. Unfortunately, about 1000 feet out, two fireballs come out of the spheres and strike Mal and Xan. The two try to flee, but the spheres are gaining, and after two more fireballs, Xan teleports them out of there and back to the Blue Nixie.
Mal lets everyone else know what was going on – all they had seen, was two giant black flying spheres appear (their attacks caused their reappearance) and shoot fireballs. Xan heals herself.
Enias: Jumps off ship into the water, figuring that is a safer place to be. He is actually flying over the water, and pacing the ship, assuming it will be fireballed.

Mal: flies above the ship, assuming the ship will be fireballed too.
Annie: Controls ship then Jumps in the water, after becoming concerned over fireballs. She is using the cloak of the manta ray, from Lyrith (who is still dead).
Xan: Eventually flies above the ship, concerned about fireballs, too. First, she casts Resistance to Fire 30 on everyone on the ship, including the crew (this would prove helpful, later). She tries a thunderous roar on #2 when he gets close enough, but does not damage. Who is immune to sonic?!
Sol: Flies at one of the black spheres, which we will call #1. She has a Reflex save of +22, and evasion, so figures she can take some fire off the ship, if it comes to that. She does take 2 fireballs, and makes both saves. She never gets a strike in, however, as she hovers over and near #1, while watching Jakara, Alobar, and Kundra knock it about. Its does get in a spell at Solaral. She makes her Fort save, but takes some damage. She is guessing it was a Finger of Death, based on what we learn these creatures are, later.
Jakara: Uses bow to do control winds, but has to wait until one of the spheres, #1, gets close. When it does, Jakara’s bow does the control winds thing at CL 20, raising the wind by 7 levels, and causing a minor tornado. He begins slamming #1 out of the sky and to the ocean.
Alobar: Wand of enlarged fireballs, then fireballs, then horrid wilting, then chain lightning. This fight was almost all Alobar. First he uses the wand of enlarged fireballs on #1. We can tell he is doing damage, and as Solaral gets closer, and Jakara calls the winds, Alobar switches to #2. He is now close enough for Alobar to use his own spells and casts a fell fireball. Kundra picks up the wand and begins throwing fireballs, too, at #2. Alobar does a horrid wilting, and then a second, and it dies. Alobar then does 2 empowered chain lightnings at #1, and it dies.
Kundra: Picks up Alobar’s wand and then fireballs #2. When Alobar kills it, she switches to #1.
Father Seamus: heals sailors, who took damage when the bad guys got 2 fireballs in on the ship.
Harliss: controls the ship during the fight, when Annie jumps overboard.

We finally recognize the guys, who are death slaadi. We know they are immune to sonic, have fast healing, some DR, resis to acid, cold, elec, fire, and do finger of death, circle of death, shapechanger, stunning ability.

We decide to sail the Blue Nixie away, as we rest, and turn it around halfway thru the night, sail back, and attack at dawn. Our initial idea is to cast control winds, fill the sails with a hurricane, and rush in.

Session 56 – All Hands on Deck! - 11 Jun 2009

We have decided to run the ship in, and Jakara casts control winds with his bow, driving the ship toward the hidden base of the Crimson Fleet. About an hour out, we begin casting our long-term spells. Everyone has Hero’s Feast, and gets Darkvision and Resist Fire 30. Xanaphia casts Commune with Nature, and detects the layout of the channel and harbor, but something is blocking the middle of the channel. We decide to keep running it, and at the last moment, we will slow the ship down, fly off to an appropriate structure, and the crew will sail the ship away as quick as possible.

It doesn’t quite work like that, unfortunately.

As we are still about a half mile out, 10 bar-lguras teleport in, and Malaforte sees they each had an invisible Yuan-ti with them. The bar-lguras begin snatching, and the Yuan-ti immediately fly up above the ship, to about 90 feet.

The bar-lguras manage to snatch (grab and teleport with) a sailor, Ugly Annie, and Jakara. 4 bar-lguras try to snatch and fail, teleporting away without their victims. 3 bar-lguras don’t have appropriate targets, and so don’t try.

4 of the Yuan-ti are sorcerers, and 2 shoot black beams (enervation spell) at Enias. One hits him, but he is immune to level drain. The other 2 sorcerers shoot enervations at Malaforte, and one hits him, but Mal’s ring of counterspells goes to work, but has now lost its greater dispel. Of course, all the sorcerers now turn visible.

The other 6 Yuan-ti are assassins and they begin observing the rest of the crew and party, who can’t see them due to the invisibility.

Alobar casts an empowered horrid wilting (91 hit points) and kills 3 of the 4 sorcerers, and 1 bar-lgura. 2 bar-lguras are hit, but make their saves, and take damage, but don’t die.

Harliss maneuvers the boat to catch 2 of the 3 falling sorcerer bodies.

Solaral moves and attacks a bar-lgura on the deck, hitting it while in a holy fury wild frenzy.

Kundra shoots arrows at the remaining Yuan-ti sorcerer, who has mirror images up, and destroys 2 of the images.

Enias uses his boots to haste himself and attacks two bar-lguras. He kills one with a critical hit from his large holy greatsword, and hits the second with a bite. We notice they have a pretty good DR, maybe 10 points, of good and cold iron, we think.

A bar-lgura fails to snatch Enias.

Xanaphia casts glitterdust, following Mal’s directions, but fails to get any of the invisible assassins above the ship.

Father Seamus casts invisibility purge on himself, but its only 80 feet, so the assassins are still invisible.

Mal blasts an assassin with his eldritch blast.

The remaining sorcerer casts a lightning bolt and hits Malaforte.

Alobar casts mirror image on himself.

The assassins are still studying.

Solaral activates her winged boots and runs to stand directly underneath the sorcerer, preparing to charge straight up, but not yet showing that she can fly.

Kundra casts a fiery burst at the sorcerer, destroying its remaining images.

Malaforte casts a chained frightful blast, hitting 3 of the assassins and “shaking” 2 of them.

Father Seamus jaunts up to the crow’s nest, bringing the invisible assassins within range of his purge, ripping aside their protection, and ruining their studying of victims. FS also drinks a potion of fly.

Xanaphia casts sound lance at the sorcerer, but fails to penetrate its SR.

6 bar-lguras pop in, each with a human thug, and 2 with Yuan-ti assassins also come in, but we don’t know from where. There is not enough room on the deck, and 1 thug falls in the water and is left behind as the ship keeps moving. The bar-lguras appear to be from the original 10, who had popped out in snatches or failed snatches.

We believe the count is 4 Yuan-ti Sorcerers, 8 Yuan-ti Assassins, 6 human thugs, and 10 bar-lguras.

1 bar-lguras snatch sailors and disappear with them. Harliss gets in an AoO against one bar-lgura, and hits. Another bar-lgura tries to snatch another sailor, but fails. 1 bar-lgura hits Alobar with a claw. 1 bar-lgura tries to snatch Xan and fails. The human thugs breath fire (from elixir of fire breath) and injure the remaining sailor, who didn’t have resist fire 30. The thugs can’t hurt the party, though.

The 2 new assassins pull out composite longbows and fire arrows at Kundra, hitting her once. The assassins had come in invisible, but Father Seamus’ purge had stripped them of it.

The Yuan-ti sorcerer flies up to 90 feet, and hits Mal with another lightning bolt. Crap. Mal is really taking damage.

We realized that every single enemy is hasted.

Alobar casts another empowered horrid wilting (85 hit points) on 6 (the originals) of the 8 assassins. All fail their saves, and 1 dies and the remaining 5 are severely injured. Thank the gods for Fort saves, instead of Reflex!

1 assassin attacks Alobar, who hits it with an AoO and kills it! 2 more attack Alobar and hit 2 of his mirror images. 2 attack Father Seamus and both hit him.

Kundra steals an “enervation” spell from the Sorcerer, with her spell their ability, also hitting it with an arrow for some damage.

Sol moves to attack an assassin flanking Alobar, and misses! The sorcerer is now out of her charge range.

Enias hits a bar-lgura three times, and kills it. He then swings and misses at a human thug.

Mal does another chained frightful blast, killing the two assassins flanking Father Seamus, and injuring 1 of the assassins by Alobar.

Xan tries a touch attack, clap of thunder, against a bar-lgura and misses. She then does a quick teleport (abrupt jaunt) into the cabin and out of the fight for the moment.

Harliss hits 1 thug with her rapier.

A bar-lgura snatches the remaining sailor. Now all 4 are gone!

The 2 newer assassins continue to fire arrows at Kundra, and get 2 hits.

2 human thugs fire crossbows at Kundra but miss. 1 thug fires his crossbow at Solaral and misses. 1 thug fires his crossbow at Alobar and misses. The remaining thug swings his scimitar at Harliss and misses.

Alobar does an ethereal jaunt into the cabin with Xan.

The 2 assassins then attack Solaral, and miss. Ha!

Solaral does a quick haste, and makes 9 attacks on an assassin, only hitting once – but she kills it!!

Kundra casts her enervation at an assassin, but fails to penetrate its SR.

Enias hits a bar-lgura with the sword and a bite, and bull rushes it off the deck of the ship.

Mal casts a quickened blast and an acid blast at the sorcerer and misses both!

Father Seamus casts a flamestrike on the sorcerer, and fails to penetrate the SR! This last sorcerer is proving surprisingly tough to kill.

Xan opens the door of the cabin, and casts a thunderous roar at the sorcerer, who takes damage but is still alive.

5 more bar-lguras teleport in. 1 tries to snatch Sol and fails. 1 charges and pounces on Sol, but misses all of its attacks.

Harliss hits a human thug twice with her rapier.

2 assassins throw beads of force at Solaral. She takes damage but makes the entrapment saves. Xan, however, standing nearby, is entrapped, as are two of the human thugs. All take damage. 1 assassin and 1 bar-lgura are nearby, take damage, and both die. Another bar-lgura takes damage, too.

2 human thugs shoot crossbows at Kundra and miss all the shots. 1 thug swings his scimitar at Harliss and hits her.

The sorcerer casts another lightning bolt at Mal, who is now down to 8 hit points!

Alobar does a targeted dispel on the force sphere holding Xan, destroying it.

Sol attacks a bar-lgura, and kills it.

Kundra does a sneak attack on the sorcerer with her bow, using sniper shot spell, but misses.

Enias hits a bar-lgura, cowering and then killing it. Enias then kills a thug, pushing him into anther thug and knocking that thug down.

Mal casts an acid (vitriolic) blast on the sorcerer, and finally kills it! Yeah!!! Mal then does a quickened maximized empowered frightful blast on an assassin, hitting it.

Father Seamus casts heal on Malaforte.

Xan casts babau slime on Solaral, to give her an acid sheath.

A bar-lgura tries to snatch Enias and fails. Another bar-lgura pounces on Solaral, but misses her.

Two assassins conduct flanking melee attacks on Sol, and get two hits.

The knocked-down thug stands up, but is hit by Enias in an AoO. Another thug fires his crossbow at Solaral, but misses.

Alobar casts magic missile on a bar-lgura, and kills it.

Sol attacks the two assassins next to her, and kills 1 and wounds the second.

Kundra fires an arrow at the assassin next to Solaral, and gets a critical hit, but its still alive.

Enias hits a thug and kills him, then hits another twice, but this one is still alive.

Mal hits an assassin with an acid blast, and a quickened empowered maximized frightful blast, and kills it.

Father Seamus casts cure critical wounds on Solaral.

The remaining free thug is quickly killed. 2 more thugs are still trapped in a force sphere, and will be quickly killed.

It is the end of Round 7. What has happened to the 4 sailors, Jakara and Annie, who were snatched?

Our Total Kills for this, so far:
Yuan-Ti Sorcerers: 4
Yuan-Ti Assassins: 8
Bar-lguras: 7 (+1 pushed off the boat, but assumed to be alive)
Human Thugs: 3 (+1 dropped off the boat and +2 in sphere)

Session 57 – The Hurricane - 18 Jun 2009

We transition now to the characters who were snatched away from the deck of the Blue Nixie by the bar-lguras, which were Annie, Jakara, and the 4 sailors.

Ann and Jak were taken to a rickety wooden shack with 10’ high walls and no ceiling. There is a dead body in the corner, wearing red chainmail and an exotic sword. They quickly realize that the floor and the body are illusions, and hug the walls. However, a huge-size advanced fiendish Eye of the Deep rises out of the illusory floor and attacks. It has two claws, two eyes on stalks, and a large, central eye. Annie runs up the wall of the shack, and down the outside. Jakara flies up, using one of his tattoos, but the Eye attacks! The central eye flashes and Jak is blinded for 9 rounds and stunned for 4, causing him to drop his bow. 1 eye stalk shoots an enchantment beam at him, but he is immune. The 2d eye stalk shoots a cold ray at him, but he makes his save and has a ring of evasion.

Meanwhile, Annie sees that they are in the cove, with ramshackle ships and buildings all around, including one large structure of 2 or 3 giant trees, with 4 or 5 ships in its branches. There is also a stone tower. She hears pirates running all around and manning crew-served weapons, such as ballistae, so she drinks a potion of invisibility.

The Eye is too far below Jak to get him with its snappers, so it begins flying up towards him, zapping with the enchantment and cold rays as it does so. Ballista bolts begin flying towards Jak as well, who blinded and stunned, cannot do anything. As a side note, Jak has a scroll of remove blindness, but it’s a hard item to use when you can’t see. Sort of like Mal’s potion of remove paralysis.

Annie gets a brilliant idea, and flies up to Jakara, then smashes a force bead against her own self. Although she and Jak are injured by the bead, because she didn’t attack anyone but herself, she stays invisible, and she and Jak are enclosed in the impenetrable sphere, where they begin downing healing potions. Jak, once unstunned, also uses a prayer bead of healing to cast remove blindness on himself. Jak drinks a potion of invisibility, as well.

At this time, a sailor is brought to the shack by a bar-lgura, and he falls into the water and begins flailing around. He will stay here throughout the fight. We don’t know what has happened to the other 3 sailors.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, the party begins healing themselves, and casting some longer term buffs such as barkskins and Cold Iron Weapons, and Resist Energies. Father Seamus puts a dispel magic into Malaforte’s ring of counterspells, too. Alobar casts veil on the party, to make us look like Yuan-ti sorcerers and assassins, and human thugs, as if we had captured the ship and were sailing it in.

Eventually, one of the bar-lguras is able to dispel the sphere around Jak and Annie (they have a really low CL, and so took 6 attempts). Annie dives down into the water and activates the Cloak of the Manta Ray, and Jakara flies down, looking for his bow, and finding it. However, a bar-lgura catches Jak with a dispel magic, and strips away the invisibility, fly, and barkskin. The Eye, which apparently can’t see invisible things (the bar-lguras apparently can), begins shooting rays again at Jakara. Ballista and crossbows are flying at them, and someone is glaring down at them from the top-most ship in the tree. Ann and Jak also see someone on top of the tower. A quad of Yuan-ti assassins also arrive, gunning for Jakara. Annie is under water at this time. Alobar and Xanaphia send some sending spells to Jakara, asking what’s going on. They get the replies, but its not enough to teleport to.

At this time, Jakara remembers that he has a Control Winds of CL 20 active, and immediately calls in a tornado with an 800’ radius, with himself at the eye. It is 40’ tall. The Eye of the Deep is blown away and begins taking damage. The ships, tree, and building begin tearing down, and the big tree/ship construct is shaking. Pirates are picked up and flown about, as are the 4 Yuan-ti assassins. Suddenly, a large, 2-headed, 12-armed half-Yuan-ti half-demon thing appears next to Jakara and hits him with a Vile gaze, for 2 points of Charisma damage. Jakara is able to escape it and begins flying toward the Blue Nixie, keeping the tornado around himself, and also over the cove, doing quite a bit of damage. He leaves it over the cove and returns to the ship, joining Annie back there, as well.

Its our intention to sail a little closer, then Solaral will D-door over with half the party, to the top of the tower, and Alobar will teleport with the remainder. We are tired of running away, we have a lot of buffs active, and the tornado is causing considerable confusion and damage to the cove and our enemies. For example, they can’t fire arrows or crossbow bolts or ballistae bolts at us, or fly through the winds towards us. Jakara can move the eye with a standard action, to keep us in it as we move about, or keep the bottom of the winds at just over head height, so anyone coming to us has to be at ground level. Mal, up in the crow’s nest, then notices something running towards up, over the water. It’s an abyssal retriever! 3 guesses as to who its after. Actually, this isn’t a bad thing, we are thinking. We can engage and destroy it out here, away from any other support it may have, and then continue attacking the cove. Thank the gods for chaotic enemies, who don’t work well together.

Session 58 – The Bigger They Are… - 25 June 2008

The fight in the Cove has started out very well – we killed 4 of the Crimson Fleet’s heavy hitters. And we mean heavy.

We were on the ship, with the huge retriever, followed by the eye of the deep, coming after us. Our initial plan was to let these two come for us, and kill them out on the sea, but someone started casting dispels at us. It wasn’t a high CL, but we decided enough of that, and Alobar teleported half the group, and Solaral D-doored the other half, right to the bottom ship of the giant tree-house assembly. This level was made of two large halfs of two ships, stuck back to back around a giant tree. As we come in, we observe 2-4 harpies flying around, 4-8 Lemurians fluttering or running around, and what, or who, is obviously Vanthus, glaring at us from further atop the treehouse. We also see that the retriever and the eye of the deep have turned around and headed back into the cove.

Right after we jump to the bottom ships of the tree-house, a gargantuan-sized retriever climbs aboard! Its much larger than the first one. Jakara brings the winds down from where they are at 40’, and checks it, so that it can’t move forward. We are all standing in the eye at the center. Solaral calls in a large air elemental, but it is quickly dispatched by the retrievers large claws. Alobar begins hitting it with chain lightings and Malaforte with eldritch blasts. The first retriever, now referred to as the “small one” climbs aboard the ship as well, swinging at Jakara but missing. The two-baboon-headed, 12-armed snake thing then teleports in and begins gazing at us. It’s a serious pain. Solaral moves and gets in 1 hit, and then the thing gets in 15 scimitar swings at Sol! Fortunately, only 1 hit.

Things start looking up when Enias, pulling out one of his weird but just right abilities, casts a 60’ cone of wind into the small retriever and the snake thing. The small retriever falls over, and the snake is blown out of the eye and into the hurricane. Sol is a bit miffed, as she was getting ready to wail on it, but she wails on the retriever instead, which was blown right next to her. Sol gets in 7 of 8 hits, and destroys it. The baboon snake thing teleports in, but unfortunately for it, lands next to Enias, who whacks it four times with his large holy “cold ironed” greatsword, and kills it.

At this time, the eye of the deep reappears, floating or flying up onto the deck. In short order, Father Seamus, Jakara, and Solaral are all blinded and stunned from its central eye. Xanaphia, Malaforte, and Alobar, meanwhile, have been continually hitting the checked large retriever with lightning and hellfire blasts, and finally a bolt from Xanaphia destroys it. Now we can all focus on the Eye. The Eye hits Enias, and in a funny turnaround, is itself blinded by the effects of the Holy Aura spell that Father Seamus had cast. Enias, while laughing heartily, swings and kills the big bag of blubber. Now we can begin ascending the tree-house! After unstunning and unblinding our teammates, of course. Maybe we will use the time-honored method of time?

16 July 09 – Annie’s Hour - Session 59

Xan grabs the prayer beads from Solaral, and uses them to unblind Father Seamus and Solaral. Meanwhile, Enias cuts his way through the bottom of the second ship, into its Cargo hold. Enias then cuts through the next deck, into a map or planning cabin, and then into the next deck, as well – which is the open top deck! As Enias cuts through this last deck, an incredibly huge red arm reaches through and smacks him. Enias is stunned! We see that the creature is only large, but funny, with one huge arm, and one small arm with a long sword. We also see 3 of the Yuan-ti assassins on deck, as well.

Alobar casts a cone of cold out of the hole in the deck. Solaral rises up to engage the big-armed guy, and and gets in a hit, but is hit in turn and stunned into unconsciousness. Kundra shoots her bow at the big guy and hits him. We also notice that the big guy has DR of at least 10. We finally figure out that it’s a Yugoloth of some kind. Annie has come up on deck, and engaged with the Yugoloth and an assassin. She causes the Yugoloth to miss her, and stun the assassin! Eventually, we are able to kill it.

Annie drops back into the hole, to get away from the big guy, and lands near the door. This ends up being fortunate for all of us. Solaral’s fly spell ends as she is stunned, and she drops back into the hole and into the cabin. Suddenly, the door in the cabin is yanked open by a yuan-ti, and two more try to throw beads of force inside. Annie, with combat reflexes, gets two attacks of opportunity, and manages to disarm each of the assassins – knocking their beads out of their hands. One explodes on the floor at their feet, trapping one assassin and pushing 1 back, while blocking the door. Annie explodes the 2d bead, lying on the floor, by throwing a vial of poison at it and hitting it. Solaral is healed by Father Seamus, and jumps up and kills the one Yuan-ti in the room. Alobar feels someone conducting some sort of death magic on him, but makes the save and takes 32 points of damage instead. Xanaphia looks up and spots a huge, bloated snake-like creature with 6 heads and 2 arms.

23 July 09 – Alobars, Alobars Everywhere- Session 60

We decide to withdraw into the ship and teleport out. As we begin doing this, a Lemurian arrives. It is Cold Captain Wither. He charges and attacks Father Seamus with a bastard sword, trying to smite! He rolls a 3 and gets a 28, which is a miss! Alobar is attacked by another Lemurian, and several more arrive. 3 harpies come in and fly by attack. We continue withdrawing back into the cabin and some jump into the portable hole, to leave few enough for Alobar to teleport. Cold Captain Wither tries Charm Monster on Solaral and Jakara, but they are both immune. Xanaphia casts Solid Fog up on deck to cover their retreat. Alobar teleports us to Farshore. We have left Harliss with the boat, and we don’t know what has happened to the crew.

We heal up, and cast Mord’s Private Sanctum. We also use a Sending to Harliss, who lets us know that she has been taken by Glasea and is being tortured. What the heck? Some sounds emanate from the mansion in the night, but we don’t let them disturb us. In the morning, we prepare our spells and teleport back, hoping to catch our chaotic opponents off guard.

We teleport to the topmost ship, all veiled to look like Alobar. Jakara brings up his bow and casts control winds, sweeping a number of pirate archers and lemurians away, but the effect stops on the ship, where Cold Captain Wither is. He has prepared for us. Malaforte tries a maximized empowered hellfire blast at Capt Wither, 100’ away, but fails to penetrate his SR. Dang it! Alobar casts a cone of cold, but everyone who is hit makes the save, and has evasion. Dang it! We continue attacking, and so do they. Annie hits one with her rapier. Xan hits one with her Clap of Thunder. Sol hits one with her Sunblade. Father Seamus casts holy aura. Enias hits one with his greatsword. 2 charge and 1 hits Jakara. Jakara shoots his bow, and Malaforte keeps blasting. Enias keeps swinging his greatsword and kills the Cold Captain! Alobar casts haste. Annie keeps stabbing and kills another one. Solaral keeps moving and slashing.

In round 2, the 6-headed, 2-armed snake thing comes in, with 4 assassins, and casts disintegrate on Alobar. Fortunately, it only hit 1 of his mirror images. 3 of the assassins throw beads of force at the party, imprisoning Alobar. 7 Lemurians and assassins surround Solaral! Enias blasts the whole group with his scouring cone of sand. Sol makes both her saves and takes no damage and remains upright. The buzzsaw continues, and begins to engulf the so-called “7th coil” as well. Enias wails on the big 7th Coil thing and hits it, but takes Str and Con damage from his strikes. Alobar casts a Horrid Wilting. Annie stabs it with her rapier, and is able to reduce some of its Spell Resistance as she does so. Jakara and Kundra are shooting bows. Solaral continues to mop up the assassins and Lemurians. Xan and Father Seamus conduct healing activities. The 7th Coil shouts a Blasphemy, getting 5 members of the party! Some are dazed, and some are dazed and weakened. Then the 7th Coil runs away!

Any updates or is the campaign over? Your group was ahead of mine at one point but now we have moved past your last update. We're done with The Wreck and on to the next part of the campaign.

Yeah! More updates now!

We have had one more session, which I will put up soon - but it had no fighting. It was just a wrap up at the Crimson Fleet base, and some selling and buying of stuff. It ended up taking the whole session. We start the next adventure on Thursday.

Session 61 – Talking with Demogorgon - 20 Aug 2009

Little is left of the Crimson Fleet HQ after the extensive damage wrought by the Tornado. This is what we find:

1. Stone Watchtower: The tower itself was thirty feet tall. Little of value remains as the wooden roof was torn apart and everything within was sucked up from the resulting vacuum.

2. Condemned Shack: Little remains of this location where the advanced elite fiendish eye of the deep holed up. Nonetheless, as we searched through the wreckage and made it to the pool below, we found the following: 5,000 gp, 13 pink pearls, 100 gp each, +4 defending cold iron dagger, mask of the skull, red crystal staff of evocation (31 charges).

3. The Wreck: Miraculously, or probably through demonic power, the wreck is still intact. We examine it and realize that there are magical anchor points that function similarly to immovable rods. Bringing the wreck down would require dispelling the majority of these anchor points since they’re effectively magic items. A dispel magic only negates one for 1d4 rounds. We find that there are easily between two to three dozen of these anchor points. At the end of the day, Malaforte uses his Greater dispelling touch invocation to remove the anchor points one by one, and throw them overboard, where they float in the air – a hazard to navigation, yes, but the wreck eventually collapses.

A. Prison (bottom ship): We find all of our crew members there (excluding Harliss), terrified, but otherwise in fine health. One additional prisoner languishing there is a badly beaten lemorian, Ratline Sid. We learn the following from him after we heal him as his broken legs and crushed jaw make communication difficult, besides the fact that he is near death:

-Vanthus arrived and humiliated Captain Wyther. Once he left, Ratline was one of five captains who rose up in mutiny. The other four have escaped to sea and are being chased by the Crimson Fleet, Ratline was defeated in combat. He confirms that the fleet’s just finished delivering dozens of black pearls, but he’s not sure why they were giving the things away when they could have sold them again and stolen them back and sold them a dozen times over. He recounts Vanthus’ arrival in detail, adding that the woman he brought back was a mighty fine catch but that Vanthus kept her at his side the whole time. They finally left on Captain Wyther’s ship, the Crimson Scar, several days ago. Ratline is not sure where Vanthus went, but he does know that he activated the wakeportal on Wyther’s ship to travel to the Gaping Maw. There is one more wakeportal in the Wreck treasury. He has been to Lemoriax on Gaping Maw twice since his initial transformation into a lemorian. When asked about more details on Gaping Maw, Lemoriax, Demogorgon, or the process by which he was transformed into a half-fiend, he doesn’t answer. He has little to say other than he’s started to think that letting those fancy bat-winged ladies in Lemoriax put him in that big pool of sludge that turned him fiendish may not have been a great idea.

B. Wyther’s Shrine (bottom ship): A grotesque scrimshaw statue of a towering two-headed monster dominates the chamber. The statue is composed of numerous whalebones that have been filed and fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. The entire thing has an unsettling quality about it, almost as if the two skull-like faces could see. An iron brazier filled with ashes sits between the statue’s feet, and clutched in its tentacles is a single curious metal orb. Our knowledge planes/religion checks reveal that this statue depicts Demogorgon. But it is much more than a shrine to the Prince of Demons. As one of Demogorgon’s primary Material Plane agents, this statue appears to be some type of device. The metal globe clutched by the statue is a puzzle orb made up of interlocking slats and panels. After a successful Intelligence Check, combined with a high reflex save from Kundra to avoid tendon severing serrated blades, we unlock the puzzle. Twisted and folded in the correct manner, the orb opens like a metal rose and …the device floats into the air as a mauve haze seeps from the brazier below. The haze quickly fills the room with a sickening stink of rotting fish and seaweed – if we had not been immune to poison (thank you Heroe’s Feast) we would clearly be nauseated. As the foul mist fills the room, the statue of Demogorgon suddenly seems to slither to awful life!

Its surface fills in with rancid greens and blues and sickly yellows as it takes on the fearful countenance of the Prince of Demons. His two simian heads scowl, writhing above his serpentine body on long snaky necks that make an obscene sucking noise. Two tentacle arms come into view, dripping, and he moves suddenly in long strides as though his body is dislocated. Clearly this orb has established an actual link with the Prince of Demons! The two heads look around the room, then settle their gazes upon Kundra, who activated the statue, watching expectantly. At that time, Kundra instantaneously realized how she could use the statue – by asking ten yes/no questions (as if using commune to contact Demogorgon), or she may ash a single question and receive a short answer.

Unfortunately, we fall to arguing over what to ask, and the statue gets tired of our yammering and yells at us. We ask it what Vanthus’ weakness is, and it tells us “his ego” and the normal weaknesses of a death knight. The statue then explodes, dealing 20d6 of fire and 20d6 of acid damage to everyone in the room. Fortunately, everyone had resist fire, acid, cold, electricity 30 from Xanaphia, and so only Malaforte missed a save and took damage.

C. War Room: A U-shaped table sits in this room, surrounded by wooden chairs. Dozens of scrolls lie heaped on the table, weighed down by several gold paperweights that resemble ships at sea. On the far wall hangs a map of the known seas and civilized lands. This room is where the Crimson Fleet worked out its raids, including shipments of shadow pearls to various large cities of the northern world. An investigation of the numerous notes, logs, and ledgers on the table reveal that they’ve sent shadow pearls to no less than 35 different cities, but aside from the fact that each of these deliveries was accepted by an unnamed by powerful ally, the exact locations are nowhere to be found. Further investigation of the notes here turns up several references to an event called the “savage tide”, and while some of these notes indicate that the savage tide will be occurring soon, an exact date is missing. Seven paperweights are solid gold and worth 700 gp each – yeah!

D. Chambers: We cannot tell which creature occupied these chambers, other than it was not human. But this long room is split into two sections. To the starboard, near the doo, stands an oak bookcase, its shelves heaped with tomes of all shapes and sizes. A large padded chair sits nearby. To port, an oversized bed is flanked by an ivory washtub and an elegant writing desk. The collection of history books includes seven rare tomes worth 300 gp each – yeah!

E. Wyther’s Quarters: A huge canopied bed, complete with diaphonanous silk curtains hanging from its sides, dominates this sumptuous chamber. To the stern, a locked cupboard sits in a nook near the door. We find a hidden panel in the bed’s headboard that holds: a pair of +1 daggers coated with Lemorian venom (DC 21 Fort, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Wisdom); a neatly folded paper that lists the following spells (not scroll – just list of spells), in order: fear, rage, crushing despair, crushing despair, rage, fear, and Tasha’s hideous laughter. In the locked cabinet we find seven specimens of fine clothing each worth 200gp and a private collection of rare wines, ales, meads, and grog (12 bottles x 500gp each).

F. Treasury: The doorway to this room is locked and trapped. Fortunately, we found a black key on Captain Wyther, which fit the lock and bypassed the trap. The champer has lead-lines walls to prevent many divination spells from seeing into the room. The chamber is protected by a chaotic evil forbiddance spell (CL 16th) that Alobar was able to dispel. And the lead-lined walls are also lined with permanent walls of force with the exception of the doorway. The trap bypassed by the key is a chaining Energy Drain trap (CL 17th). The walls of this area are plated in what appears to be lead that shimmers with sparkling energy. A single long table sits against the wall immediately to the door’s left. A few chairs sit nearby, and a spherical object the size of a human head sits atop the table, covered by a deep purple cloth. We determine it is a crystal ball with telepathy. The contents of the rest of this room leave little doubt as to its purpose. Sacks of coins, sea chests too full to be properly closed, heaps of silks, suits of partially assembled armor, tapestries, mounds of fine furs and clothing, jewelry boxes, metal coffers, and racks of weapons line the port and starboard walls of the chamber, leaving an open area in the center where one might stand and admire the collection. This is, without a doubt, the treasury of the Crimson Fleet! We find 300,000 cp, 110,000 sp, 28,000 gp, 1,300 pp, Gems and jewelry worth 10,000gp, Masterwork weapons and armor worth 8,000gp, Rare silks and furs worth 4,200gp, Fine clothing and tapestries worth 5,600gp, Rare and exotic alcohol worth 6,000gp, Gold and silver bars worth 16,000gp.
A curious iron chest sitting near the bow. Decorated by seven gargoyle faces that stare out in all directions interspersed with dancing angels, this is a legendary chest. Our knowledge checks reveal that it is the legendary Iron Chest of Hathruman, a chest so wicked it was considered to have a will of its own. Hathruman was a notorious arcane trickster held as a legend in trapmaking circles. Dozens of boxes, coffers, cases, arks, and other vessels bear his name, but he only created one chest.

We want to look in the chest, but are a bit apprehensive, so we take it very deliberately. Alobar turns into a beholder, with some 8th level spell he has, and puts the anti-magic cone from his central eye on the chest. Kundra then proceeds to do a quick search for traps, but finds none. As she realizes that the 7 faces on the chest can all be manipulated into different expressions, we remember the paper with 7 spells that we found in Wyther’s quarters. Kundra sets the faces into the expressions from the spells on the paper, and voila! The chest clicks open! Inside, we find 6 large black pearls, a golden crown, 12 bags of 500 gp each, a large 25,000 gp ruby. We end of selling everything, including the chest! For now, we take everything out, and put it and the chest into our portable hole (after determining the chest has no extra-dimensional spaces).

It was a good thing that we found the right sequence of expressions, because we learned later, that as an artifact, the chest and its 7 traps would have continued to function in the anti-magic shell.

G. Harpies Nest: We find where the three sisters of Lamentation, late of the Birdcage, nest in this area. We find a single large bag of 1,200 gp

H. Other Quarters: We find a note written in blood but using Lavinia’s handwriting. This hidden note says: Vanthus lives! Back from death! He’s taken control of the fleet and says he wants to make me into one of them, to take me to Demogorgon’s realm wher

4. Bodies: Of course, we loot the bodies. Captain Wyther’s gear was particularly impressive, including +3 icy burst cold iron bastard sword (Sell! None of us want it – it doesn’t fit our party), gauntlets of ogre power +6, bracers of health +6 (as amulet of health +6), and keys to all locks on the Wreck. Other items found on the bodies include a ring of protection +5 on the yagnoloth (the big guy), a Serpent Symbol (allows destruction or disintegrate 1/day) on the 7th coil, and plenty of jewelry all around.

After looting the bodies, and bringing down the whole twisted tower of ships, we teleport out to the Blue Nixie with our sailors. We stay aboard for the night, and give them instructions to keep sailing. We then teleport back to Farshore, where we persuade the gnome naturalist, Ural, to return with us as our navigator. We also drop off about 21,165 gp of masterwork arms and armor with the Farshore Militia, to increase their effectiveness and earn some good will. We take Ural to the Blue Nixie, and then teleport to Sasserine with all of our treasure, to sell and buy and make.

Even at half price, we manage to make over 700,000 gp profit, most of which went right back into the Farshore economy and merchants’ hands. Unfortunately, use of divination spells reveal that we only have about 15 days before we need to get moving again to rescue Lavinia, and so our time to use our ability to make or improve magic is limited. We spend a lot of money, hiring others to upgrade our gear (contracting out more than the Pentagon).

We also determine that we need a larger crew for the Blue Nixie, and so Enias comes to the rescue. He had taken Leadership, and has Annie as a cohort, so he recruited a number of followers – 12, to be exact. With our four original sailors, this gives us 16 to crew the ship. Annie has the skills to act as Captain. It occurs to Solaral, that while on board the ship, Enias and his minions actually outnumber the rest of the party…and they are all human. She is none too happy about it, and is wondering if she might find some elven sailors somewhere. Preferably female.

Now, we are ready for the Gaping Maw!

Session 62 – Into the Maw, Gaping - 3 Sep 09

Alobar: Wizard (generalist) 17
Kundra the cohort: Rogue 1/Spellthief 12/Shadow Dancer 2
Solaral: Barbarian 2/Ranger 12/Hellreaver 1/Wildrunner 2
Xanaphia the cohort: Druid 4/Wizard (conj) 3/Arcane Heirophant 8
Malaforte: Warlock 13/Hellfire Warlock 3
Enias: Binder 16/Marshal 1
Annie the cohort: Rogue 4/Swashbuckler 9/Uncanny Trickster 2
Father Seamus: Cleric 13/Sacred Exorcist 4
Jakara: Fighter 1/Ranger 5/Totemic Demon Slayer 10

We use the wake portal, to take the Blue Nixie into the Abyssal Ocean. Father Seamus casts divination to show us the way, and Ural is our navigator, to keep us on the correct path. We meet a ship of Mercanes, who are a strange group of humanoids. They are merchants, and wish to trade. They say they can get anything we need. Father Seamus buys an Arrow of Glory, but no one else gets anything. We had spent most of our cash in Sasserine.
A gargantuan Fey sea turtle thing begins following us, and acting aggressively – its attacking! Enias uses one of his binder abilities to call forth a huge mount (he is now large, remember) and we cast fly on the mount, and off Enias goes, charging the turtle. He gets 97 points of damage with his hit! Double damage for charging and double damage for a critical, and he is using a huge greatsword (outsized for him, but he has a feat). Enias gets in another sword slash, as well. Alobar casts a couple of horrid wiltings, Malaforte gets in a blast, and Jakara hits its with some arrows. And we have a dead turtle. Only after we departed, did Malaforte think of shrinking the shell and taking it with us. It would make a nice cottage, somewhere.
We pass into an area of thunderstorms, and all hands who can help with a skill check are on deck. Enias’ new senior following is piloting the ship, and we are able to cast 2 x control winds, and 2 x control water to help (thanks to Jakara, Father Seamus, and Xanaphia). After a long day, and a number of checks, we make it through okay, without getting lost or rolling the ship. Once again, though, Father Seamus must cast divination to enable us to get our bearings. We have several ways we can go to get where we are going, all with their own attendant dangers. We elect to sail by the fortress of Kargoth the Betrayer, the first death knight. We figure that if he comes out to meet us, we will learn about death knights (either the easy way, or the hard way) and it will help us in our fight against Vanthus. We do not meet Kargoth, but we do meet another strange thing.
We come upon a floating raft, with an angel-like being inside a cage, and two large, 4-armed ape-looking guards. The caged one calls out to us to save it, and offers us help. We detect evil, and get a lot of it from him. However, we are up for a fight, so we attack the two “guards.” 1 teleports to our ship, but Xan has Greater Anticipate Teleport going, so it is delayed by 3 rounds. The 2d one stays at range, but we hit it with blasts and spells and arrows (A horrid wilting does nothing to it, and we realize they are undead), and it dies after a final blast from Malaforte. Unfortunately, it used unholy blight to injure some of the sailors. The 1st one finally completes his teleport, and we have 4 party members with readied actions, who hit it. Unfortunately, its not dead, and it casts blasphemy. Dang - we hate this spell! Its CL-18, and we are all 17 or lower, so we have no saves if within range. In fact, 6 crew members are immediately slain, including Ural and the ship pilot (Enias’ chief follower). Solaral, Xan, Enias, and Annie are all stunned and some paralyzed and weakened, too. Father Seamus pulls out a revivify on Ural, and a raise dead on the ship pilot. Malaforte finally kills this second one, too.
We still have the evil angel guy in the cage to deal with. Solaral flies over to the raft they were on, along with Enias and some others. They want to talk, as the being begs for its life and offers info. However, Solaral has had enough of pacts with evil outsider types, and she begins slashing it through the cage with her sunblade (newly enhanced to +3 base). Eventually she kills it, and we search the raft. We find some minor treasure, and Alobar shrinks the cage so we can take it. Its adamantium, after all, so it must be worth something. And if its not, it could be handy to have an adamantium cage.
We finally arrive at Divided’s Ire, our destination. It consists of two islands with a prison complex straddling them both. We can’t wait! A prison breakout!

Session 63 – Prison Break-In – 10 Sep 2009

We sail closer to Divided’s Ire, and about a mile out, we discover that the air around the isle is foul and poisonous. One of our crew members is affected, and we sail further away. Of course, the water appears bloody and dirty and poisonous too. We notice that one island has a large caldera, and the prison complex has a small housing right over the lava crater. We figure this is too obvious to be the spot where Lavinia is held. We notice that the sky has a lot of vrocks flying around, hanging around the prison like flocks of birds around a big tree. So after much discussion on how best to get in, Alobar casts Veil on us to make us look like Vrocks, and we head off (the 6 PCs and 3 cohorts). Everyone has some method of flying, be it spell or potion or magic item or wild shape. Ural and the sailors and followers stay to crew the ship.

We head for a section of the prison fortress that is in a state of disrepair, and has a large broken section of wall. It does not say much for the abilities of the prison administrator. But what can you expect from demons? As we land and look inside, we notice that wall is stone, lead, and iron. We also notice a number of incredibly strong abjurations and other enchantments. We figure the wall and they are meant to block divinations and teleportions and such. We move inside, into a very large room, about the size of a football field, and see that this section of the prison has a large chasm running through it. The ceiling is a uniform 30 feet high, and most of the corridors and doors we see are at least 10 feet wide. There is a row of spikes with heads on them, atop a wall of rubble, built across one side of the room. We make our way over the wall, and come face to face with it!

“It” is a gargantuan Lemurian golem, in the shape of Demogorgon. Solaral runs up and hits it, casting Fell the Greatest Foe as she does so. Enias, on his called steed (a huge elephant), pulls a ride by attack and hits it. Jakara begins shooting it with arrows, Annie and Kundra harass it, Father Seamus begins healing Solaral (who badly needs it hits her 4 times), Malaforte hits it with acid blasts, and Alobar shape changes into a large stone golem and swings at (missing). Enias hits it with his vortex blast, knocking it over, and Solaral finishes it off. Meanwhile, Xanaphia was casting buffing spells.

It only took 2 rounds, and that was fortunate, because Xan spots a horde of incoming vrocks, coming down a large corridor. 5 are huge and 4 are large. Those of us who can get ready, and the first, and largest vrock, takes quite few AoOs as it busts out of the corridor and into the large space where we are. It releases its spores as it busts through, and so do the other 4 huge ones. Enias, Annie, Solaral, and Xanaphia are all infected with them, and take quite a bit of small damage that rapidly adds up. Its flying near the ceiling, so we can’t physically block it (yet), even with the body of the golem doing a good job of blocking quite a bit of the pathway.. Xan casts web, and traps the 4 large ones behind. Solaral uses the prayer beads to cast bless, destroying the spores. On their way in, Alobar was able to hit 7 of the nine with horrid wilting.

Malaforte shoots a binding chain blast, ready to get 4 of them, but rolls a 1 on the attack. Crap. First use of his new, first, dark invocation (binding blast) and he gets a 1. Mal then shoots a quickened blast right after, and hits and kills the big one! Jakara uses his bow to kill another huge one. The 4 large ones in the web try to teleport in and behind us, but Xan has Greater Anticipate Teleport going on, so they are delayed for 3 rounds, and we know where they will come in. Alobar then turns into a 12-headed hydra, and begins biting vrocks. He kills a huge vrock and wounds another, hitting with all 12 bites. Annie kills another of the huge ones, and now there is only 1 left.

Suddenly, Alobar is the target of a Greater Dispel, and stripped of most of his buffs, losing fly, veil, resist fire, hero’s feast, and shapechange. Father Seamus casts Invisibility Purge (85’ radius) and nothing appears yet. Jakara kills the 5th and last huge vrock with a fusillade of arrows. Alobar shrinks the gargantuan statue and puts it in a portable hole (you never know when it might come in handy). Malaforte, who can see invisibility, finally spots another figure, on the opposite side of the room. It is a medium-sized female (hereafter known as invisichick), with two small horns, red skin and black hair, red eyes, wearing what looks like tight leather armor, and carrying a serrated scimitar and sickle in her two hands. She looks like a fighter or rogue type. And she looks like a boss. Mal takes a shot at her with his blast, but 29 fails to penetrate her SR, and it fizzles.

Session 64 – No More Annie, and Its Ugly - 17 Sep 2009

Annie runs up to where invisichick is, guesses at the location from where Mal’s blast failed, and attacks. She misses. Invisichick then attacks. Crap – its greater invisibility. She attacks 3 times with her saber and 3 times with her sickle. We know this because Mal is watching, and because Annie gets slashed 3 times with each. Yes, all of the attacks hit. Crap. Each attack does a point of Con damage, as well. Crap. One hit is a critical. Crap. And Annie is dead – completely and all the way. Crap.

Jakara, who can see invisibility with his mask, takes 5 shots at invisichick with her bow, and only hits once (a 39 missed)! He does do good damage, though. I have to take a moment here to say that Jakara averages 25 points an arrow against evil outsiders, using cold iron arrows from a +3 sacred outsider bane bow, with outsiders as his primary favored enemy from Ranger and Totemic Demon Slayer levels.

Enias blasts her with his vortex, and appears to do no damage. Evasion? Crap. Xan hits her with a Glitterdust, and everyone can see her now! Kundra and Solaral and Alobar ready for the 4 vrocks to pop in (whose teleport had been delayed). The 4 vrocks pop in and they all have multiple images. Alobar hits with a horrid wilting, Mal blasts them, but only gets 4 images, and they attack Sol, Enias, and Mal. At this time, invisichick runs away around the corner. We quickly dispose of the 4 vrocks (who are only normal vrocks right out of the MM) and stuff Annie’s body in a bag. Father Seamus does healing, Mal does detecting of magic, and Solaral begins scouting. The track disappears and we figure that invisichick must have teleported away or went through a secret door. We search but don’t find a door.

We continue to follow the corridor, which follows what we figure is the outside wall. We come to a large room with an altar to Demogorgon, and full of larvae in a red jelly. We destroy them all with vortex blasts, fire, and lightning. We elect not to destroy an idol on an altar on Demogorgon’s own plane. Suddenly, Xanaphia is hit with a Greater Dispel, and we know that invisichick is back. While we search for her, Jakara is hit with a Greater Dispel, too. Mal spots her, and Xan gets her with Glitterdust again. She runs around the next corner, and we give chase, and she has disappeared again, but there are 7 more vrocks – 3 huge and 4 large. We have also gone in a complete circle (square, really) and are back next to where we battled the golem.

Malaforte blasts the vrocks with an Empowered Maximized Chain Nauseous Hellfire blast. He gets 2 of the 3 huge vrocks. Father Seamus uses his Arrow of Glory on them. Jakara kills one of the large vrocks with his arrows. Enias kills a second. Alobar casts Deadly Lahar on the 3 huge ones, slowing 2 of them. Mal does another Empowered Maximized Chain Nauseous Hellfire blast, and rolls a 1. Crap. Xan tries a call lighting storm with a move (mobile spellcasting) and loses it! Enias kills a third large vrock and his elephant steed kills the fourth large vrock. Alobar casts defensively, trying to bring forth an Otiluke’s freezing sphere, and fails! Malaforte now tries his last maximized empowered feats (only 3 per day) with a hellfire blast (he takes 1 Con damage with each hellfire blast) and rolls a 20! He confirms the crit! 234 points of damage to the first huge vrock and 117 to the other 2. The first one dies and there are only 2 vrocks left. Jakara kills the second huge vrock with his bow, and Enias charges and kills the last huge vrock.

While this was going on, Jakara noticed that invisichick was back, and shoot at her, but his arrow is deflected. Our other attacks against her are deflected, as well, and we realize she has some sort of wall of force in front of her. Kundra, using her arcane sight, confirms its from an item she is carrying. We want it! We want her weapons! We want her! She disappears again. Crap!

Meanwhile, Solaral had run around the corner from where invisichick was, and went invisible. The vrocks ignored her, and so maybe they can’t see her. Hopefully, neither can invisichick. She stays at least 85’ from Father Seamus’ invisibility purge, moving silently, and waiting for invisichick to appear again, but so far, no joy. The 7 vrocks were killed without one blow from her!

This is such a cool writeup. Thanks!

Thanks Sharoth. We have had 3 people do the right ups at times, as you can probably tell from reading them.

Session 65 – It’s Stunning! - 24 Sep 2009

We are looking all around, but we can’t find invisichick. We do find a partially devoured horse in one room and tooth wriggling around among a bunch of severed fingers (somebody’s reincarnation kit?) in another room. Yes, you read that right. Solaral uses her sunblade to destroy the tooth. In the room where the vrocks hung out, we find half a body. It looks like it was a bard. Another room appears to be invisichick’s lair, and we find a pool of blood from a solar.
Alobar uses his crystal ball to attempt to scry invisichick, and it succeeds! He sees her back by the crevice, and so we head there. We don’t see her, and Alobar sees her heading past some cages. Maybe she went the other way? Father Seamus and Xanaphia find a broken holy symbol of St Cuthbert that has been embedded into the wall.
We cross the crevice into the next section of the prison. We find a series of cells that are adamantine boxes, hanging from adamantine chains, connected to the floor and each other with adamantine chains, as well. Some are moving around, so we know there are creatures imprisoned, but there are no slits to look through. Instead of unlocking them all, we decide to find a jailor, kill him/it, and take the keys. There is a room with a door, and there is a lot of magic radiating from it. Our rogue has an open locks of about 5, so we decide to make some noise and blast it with eldritch blasts and fiery bursts. We begin, and our efforts are rewarded. 8 hezrous begin running down a corridor toward us, and invisichick tries to sneak attack Kundra.
Alobar casts a wall of force in front of 4 of the hezrous, from wall to wall, and blocking them. The other 4 are coming down another corridor, and Jakara eventually kills two with a fusillade of arrows. Enias charges this group with his elephant, trampling one, turns around and charges again next round, killing one. Solaral hits one, and Malaforte blasts them, killing one. Two hezrous throw chaos hammer at us, but they do little. Father Seamus casts holy aura, and then Malaforte hits invisichick with a binding blast, and she fails the save! She is stunned and drops her weapons. Solaral runs up and hits her. Alobar casts haste on the party. Kundra steals gaseous form from her. Alobar hits her with a strike of fell magic missiles, stealing her strength.
By this time, the 4 hezrous blocked by the wall of force have turned around, and showed up down the hallway that the other 4 hezrous used. Father Seamus casts blade barrier to block them. Enias charges invisichik and pushes her back. Xanaphia runs up and grabs invisichick’s scimitar from the ground. Invisichick has come unstunned, and when Xan grabs her sickle from the ground, invisichick attacks unarmed, but Xan can’t hit her with the attack of opportunity, and takes some damage from an unarmed smite good. Xan had 5 mirror images up, but invisichick got lucky. Xan moves away, putting some distance. The sickle has given her a negative level, and some Con damage from poison, as well. Invisichick tumbles after Xan and tries an unarmed disarm. Xan uses an immediate action to teleport 10’ away, disrupting it. Sol runs up and swings at invisichick again, and misses (her AC is somewhere north of 45). Enias charges invisichick and again, and gets a crit with his greatsword, and a hit with a bite. Invisichick is hurt bad, but still able to tumble away, and pulls out an object and activates it. Alobar recognizes it as a cube of force.
Meanwhile, the hezrous have cast a couple unholy blights, and a couple have gone gaseous, to pass the blade barrier. Xan wraps up the sickle, and puts it in her heward’s handy haversack, so invisichick can’t take it. She loses the negative level, too!

Stay tuned!

Session 66 – Did She Get Away?! – 1 Oct 2009

This turned out to be one of the most unsatisfying sessions ever. Not only did the local Big Bad get away, but we don’t know if she is okay or dead. Maybe Alobar will use his crystal ball to find out?

After Invisichick tumbled away, Malaforte short her with a hellfire blast, but it was blocked by her cube of force. Dammit! Those blasts do a point of Con damage to Mal! Mal later tries a Disintegrate, from his Serpent Symbol, but the cube of force flashes, but remains. We think we damaged it, however, and realize we have to keep hitting it with attacks – the difference between the cube and a normal wall of force.

Xan cast Gust of Wind to push two of the gaseous hezrou back behind the blade barrier. Enias kills two of them with his sword and bite. Alobar cast a couple cones of cold, to weaken them. Their stench actually poisons Xan, who turns into a plant type to give herself immunity. Eventually, the remaining two turn solid and come for us. Mal blasts them and Enias hits them and Jakara shoots them and they die.

Suddenly, a big, huge evil-looking guy begins running toward us. He is shouting something unintelligible, but looks angry. Al throws a wall of ice in his path, and Xan hits him with a stinking cloud when he tries to smash through. He fails the save and is nauseated! He begins moving to the end of the wall, to come around.
Invisichick heals herself, with some minor spells, within the cube, and then moves over to the longsword that Xan had dropped earlier. Sol, Mal, Al, Father Seamus, Enias, and Kundra all ready actions to attack her if she tries to pick up the sword, or otherwise shows she dropped the wall of force. She feints for it, Sol charges, and smashes straight into the barrier. Crap! Enias hits the cube of force with scouring breath, and Al with cones of cold, and we see it shimmer and weaken, but Mal’s blasts do nothing to it.

Eventually, Invisichick moves away from the longsword and Xan picks it up. Al does an Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere, and then a final cone of cold, and Kundra, with her Arcane Sight, sees the cube of force flicker and fail.

She strikes at Invisichick with her rapier, with a readied action, but Invisichick had readied an action to disarm, and she does. Kundra misses with the attack of opportunity, and loses the disarm roll, and Invisichick is now armed with a +3 wounding rapier. Sol moves in and gets 9 attacks on Invisichick (with a +35 on her first two hits, dual wielding) and they all miss! We do learn that Invisichick’s AC is either 54 or 55, though (because she rolled an 18 and the DM said she would have hit if she hadn’t had to subtract 2 for attacking with each hand), and we know her touch AC is in the mid to upper 20s. Enias then attacks and rolls two 1s, but uses his luck feats to turn them into 20s, but can’t make the critical, even with his +10 to confirm a crit. Xan tries an Orb of Sound, but Invisichick’s displacement gets it. Invisichick strikes at Xan for 6 times, but only gets a mirror image each time (thank you, Greater Mirror Image). Al then hits her with Demondirge, and she takes damage, but finally looks angry, and departs via teleport. Crap! Demondirge has 3 more rounds of damage. Will it kill her?

The big huge guy has come around the wall of ice, now, and Father Seamus casts a wall of stone, linked to the wall of ice and the cavern side, to keep him away.

Session 67 – The Final Death of Malaforte – 8 Oct 2009

Pretty anti-climactic, actually. But we’ll get to that. First, we are standing there, wondering where Invisichick went, when the Big Guy on the other side of the magical Wall of Stone hits it, and breaks through. He yells for S’sharra, which we learn is Invisichick’s name, and seems angry that she got away. We make a quick deal with him: We bring him her head, and he will release Lavinia to us. Apparantly, he is the warden, and she is one of Demogorgon’s favorite retainers and assassins. It why she was able to teleport around, even though others can’t. Big Guy says she was usurping his authority, and he isn’t sure if she is working for Demogorgon, on this assignment, or not.

Meanwhile, Alobar is using his crystal ball to scry for S’sharra, and spots her in her lair. She appears to be dead or unconscious. Much discussion ensues about whether a dead body is a “creature,” which can be scried and gets a Will save, or an “unattended object,” which wouldn’t get a Will save and couldn’t be scried, anyway. In any case, Solaral immediately heads for the lair, and the others follow. We want to get to her before any fast healing continues. It takes us 4 rounds, flying and hasted, to get there, and Solaral immediately charges and strikes! She appears to be dead, and Enias can’t detect anything with his Soul Sense, but Solaral cuts off her head, just to be sure. Of course, we strip the body of usuable magic, too, but we can’t find the cube of force. Crap! Suddenly, everyone has to make a Will save, from a Spell, but we don’t know what is was or where it came from. Those who fail, all suddenly argue that we must stay here. ????

As Solaral is tying S’sharra’s head, to her belt, by its hair, two babau demons attack, yelling for the head. We quickly dispatch them (Actually, Jakara does, with his bow), and Big Guy comes in, apologizing for his retainers’ ill manners. He wants the head, but we tell him that he gets the head when we get Lavinia. He then tells us that Lavinia is with a marilith demon named Lilianth, who is some sort of famous war leader. Big Guy promises us safe passage through his territory, for the next 12 hours, and points out the route to Lilianth’s place, and says Vanthus is somewhere near the Caldera. Why Lilianth have Lavinia, and not Vanthus, we don’t know. We have to cross one of the bridges between the two islands to get there. The PCs who failed their Will saves earlier, all want to cross immediately. ??? We cast Hidden Hut, and Mordenkainen’s Private Sanctum, in order to rest, and it proceeds with incident.

We buff up on our usual spells, and prepare to cross the bridge. Alobar veils us as a group of babaus, vrocks, and hezrous. Malaforte is the only one flying, fluttering around like a vrock. This turns out to be a big mistake. As we are halfway across, a couple of Nabasu demons fly up, and gaze at Malaforte. He fails his Fort save and is immediately slain. Crap! The demons fly back to their pad. We think they may have been only targeting fliers. Why? We don’t know. Enias’ elephant manages to catch Mal’s body, but since he was slain by a death effect, revivify won’t work. Since this is the 3rd time for Mal, we decide to let him rest in peace, and throw his body in his own portable hole, which Solaral takes charge of.

We come to the next section of the prison, after crossing the bridge, and open the door. Instead of following Big Guy’s directions to follow the hall, we open the first door, and are inundated from a room full of sludge, offal, and effluvia. Some of us take acid damage (thank the gods for resist energy-mass). Then 2 filth demons attack, with cones of acid. We slay them in 2 rounds, primarily with magic missiles from Al and Kundra, scouring breath from Enias (kills 1) and Jakara’s arrows (kills 2d).

Session 68 – Marriage (of Convenience) to a Marilanth - 15 Oct 09

Continued and came to throne room. Inside were a number of demons waiting for the party. They included a nalfeshnee and others. Enias didn’t even try to talk, but immediately shot out his scouring breath, widened. Then Xan cast Freezing Fog and Al cast an Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere into it, locking up a number of the demons. And eventually, we slew them all.

The party heard clapping afterward, and saw a huge-sized marileth – Lilianth. She was standing on a balcony above us. After some discussion, we learn that she has Lavinia, and is using her for leverage over Vanthus. She desires to use Vanthus’ ability to control lesser undead to assist her in building an army. Lilianth actually works for Grazzt, and not demogorgon. Is she an escaped prisoner, we wonder? This does not seem to be a very secure prison, all in all.

We made a deal – two, actually. First, we exchanged S’sharra’s two weapons for Lilianth’s. Lilianth wanted them, and we could actually use the ones she offered in exchange. Second, she will give us Lavinia if we help her seize control of the prison. We have already killed S’sharra, and the recent nalfeshnee, and emasculated the Big Guy who was the warden, so there are only two contenders left. One is a lich necromancer and the other is a fallen angel.

Session 69 - Licking the Lich - 22 Oct 09

After resting in Lilianth's domain, we gear and spell up and head out across the bridge, to the 3d section of the prison complex. The party is veiled as demons again, and we all have Resist Energy 30 for Fire, Cold, Acid, and Elec, as well as Darkvision, Heroes Feast. None of us is flying.

Crossing the bridge is uneventful, and we come to a set of doors. They are poisoned, but no other traps are found. We open them and come into a large hallway, with a 50' ceiling. There are two trumpet archons here! One is concentrating on us, and looks surprised. We think he was detecting evil and didn't find any. Unfortunately, while we have detect magic and detect demon, we don't have detect evil or good. We assume they are fallen. However, during the ensuing conversation, they deny this. They also say that the angel, Sorian, is not fallen. We convince them to take us to him.

Sorian is not in a good mood. Probably has something to do with the fact that he only has two stumps instead of wings. We make a deal with him (as we have with everyone else), to help him take over the complex. we offer to take him to another plane, but he and his two archons don't want to go. They claim they aren't fallen, but say they are two corrupted to go anywhere else. Whatev. They lead us to the lich's domain, and tell us not to attack any of the undead, but wait, and they lich will show.

We are directed to a large intersection, and we go there and wait. Sure enough, its full of undead, many of them greater, but they just wander around, listless. Enias recognizes a weird music in the air that affects undead and keeps them in a torpor. Suddenly, the lich appears and speaks to us. We have been taken in by images before, so just in case, Alobar casts a Fog Cloud around it, to break the line of sight from a caster, if it is an image. We begin advancing to where the image was, when around a corner flys the (presumably) real lich. There are 8 of him.

Enias hits him with a widened, empowered scouring breath, doing a great deal of damage. Father Seamus casts mass Spell Resistance (SR 30). The lich casts a quickened Enervation at Enias' elephant and a Finger of Death at Alobar, but both are defeated by the SR - Yes!! Jakara fires 5 arrows and gets 4 images. Kundra fires her bow and gets another image. Alobar casts a Reaving Greater Dispel, and gets the remaining images. Xanaphia feeds a potion of fly to Enias' elephant, and Enias charges and pounces on the lich, while hasting himself with boots of speed. Of course, using his huge holy greatsword, Enias finishes the lich off - beginning of round 2!. Unfortunately, we understand that Demogorgon has his phylactery, so we can't kill him for good.

Now THAT was a professional takedown! :-)

Yeah, it was surprisingly quick and easy. The lich probably wasn't expecting the elephant to fly - he (the lich) was hanging out near the 50' ceiling. What we don't know is why the lich attacked us directly, and didn't use any of the undead he had wandering around. We saw dozens of them.

12 Nov 09 – The Final Deal? - Session 70

We decide that before going back to Soria, the fallen (or not) angel, we want to find the lich’s lair or laboratory or something. We take his skull and search his section of the complex and find two interesting totems. The first is a statue of demogorgon. Kneeling before it are statues of Grazzt, Orcus, Miska the wolf spider, and Obox-ob. We can tell it is the focus of much of the prison’s magic, but decide not to mess with it, yet. It may draw unwelcome attention from the man, himself. We also find a small totem that is what is keeping the undead in a state of torpor. We decide not to mess with it, either. We also find the lich’s spell books, which will help Alobar and Xanaphia (although one of Xan’s prohibited schools is necromancy, which the books are chock full of).

We go back to Soria and get him and his two archons to help us fight Lilianth. Our thinking is relatively straight forward. We want Lavinia back. We can ally with the angels and fight Lilianth, or we can ally with Lilianth and fight the angels, or we can attack Lilianth by ourselves. We choose the first choice. The angels aren’t evil, so are the better allies, we believe. We also think it is better to attack Lilianth with their help, then without.

We swiftly decide to cross the bridge, but Lilianth is in the center, and tells us to stand by her side against the angels, and we will get Lavinia. It is, of course, and illusion, which Xan breaks with a Freezing Fog. Immediately, 6 x hezrous and 1 x babau jump down from atop the prison and attack us from behind. And we have no idea where Lilianth is. Illusions abounded, but we found the right one – the real Lilianth, eventually. Soria was a help, as he constantly charged wherever she appeared. The two archons mixed it up with the demons. Our party helped with the demons, but we stay away from Lilianth. We are concerned with her melee ability. She is holding 5 weapons in her 6 hands: a two-handed sword, a pick, a dagger, and the scimitar and sickle from Shasharra, that we gave her.

Soria charges and attacks Lilianth, but the huge marilith swiftly kills him (ie in her first round). She smacked him with 4 hits of her greatsword, and did 35 points average per hit. She didn’t even need to use her other 4 weapons. Soria fell into the volcano, and his two trumpet archon sidekicks got mad, and then moved forward to attack her, paralyzing Xan and Jakara with their trumpets, in the process. The damn things have a 100’ radius, non-discriminatory paralyzing ability. Of course, Lilianth makes her saves. Kundra used the Nimbus bow to hold Lillianth in check with a tornado force wind, and Alobar and Seamus attacked her with spells. However, because of the wind, we can’t use arrows (Jakara and Kundra) or orb spells to attack her, so we are a bit limited. Alobar then turned into beholder, and pointed his antimagic eye at her.

The fight is not over yet. Do we keep it up, or talk to her, now that Angel-boy is dead?