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The Party
Eleisa Female Half Drow Fighter 4
Nirga Female Elf Rogue 4
Fedra Female Halfling Sorceress 4
Emeril Male Cleric of Desna 4
Shalelu Female Elf Ranger 3/Fighter1
Malfeshnekor
The party was in a dilemma. Do they head back up? Or do they continue on down here?
Nirga felt good about the trap. She knew she had been fortunate to discover and disable it. She thought that Goblins would not fare as well. Eleisa did not like the idea of possibly being surrounded. The party agreed to check out the large dark room to the south that Nirga uselessly groped around in during their fight with Nualia.
The room was “L” shaped. To the south was a set of double doors engraved with a carving of two skeletons reaching out to grasp a skull. This was odd, but not nearly as odd as to the east where the room narrowed to a circular carving of what appeared to be a large pillar of gold coins. The party was immediately interested by this strange pillar. They put all their efforts into discerning what this was all about. Fedra assisted Nirga in the search this time. The Halfling discovers that it was magic. The pillar of gold coins appeared to be an illusion. Together the Rogue and the Sorceress find a pair of small slots roughly the size of a coin. They think about what all this means for a while, then Fedra shrugs and hands Nirga a couple of standard gold coins. The Rogue puts one in one slot, and then one in the other. Almost immediately a grinding sound is heard as the pillar slowly sinks to the floor revealing a chamber beyond.
It this chamber was three sets of double doors, north, south and east.
Nirga approaches the south door. The large double doors do not have handles. Instead there is an indentation of what looks like a seven pointed star. Fedra hands Nirga Nualia's seven pointed medallion. It does not fit. After spending some time trying to open the door, they are unable to find a way to do it. The party heads to the next door.
This room was not locked. It contained three low tables. On the tables were tools, saws, long blades and other gruesome instruments. On the south table were bones, too many to make a skeleton, too few to make two. On the east table made of silver and gold was a seven pointed star with nodules and blades on one side and a handle on the other.
"Could this be the key," Nirga holds up the star.
The party heads back to the south door. The key fits. Nirga opens the door.
They enter a room that is roughly thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. The center of the room has a roughly ten foot long fire pit. In the northern corner is a riser containing many candlesticks that burn without melting the wax. There is a large carving of the seven pointed star on the south wall. The smell of burnt hair and a wave of humid heat assault the party. The room appears empty.
As Nirga begins to search the room, a large hairy beast appears out of nowhere and brutally attacks the Rogue. It is somewhat canine in appearance, but much larger than a wolf. Its paws were more like hands. And the look on its face showed intelligence, though with a certain madness. This was no mere beast. With incredible quickness, two slashing claws and a vicious bites renders Nirga unconscious and on the floor.
Eleisa without hesitation engages the beast with a mighty blow.
This must be the Greater Barghest, Malfeshnekor! Nualia apparently couldn't get past the pillar of gold coins.
Shalelu moves around to the opposite side of the fire pit and shoots an arrow. It strikes, but appears to have no effect.
Fedra tries her new spell. An arrow springs forth hitting the creature.
Emeril enters the room and is immediately concerned for Nirga unconscious and bleeding on the floor. He is unable to get close enough to lay a healing hand on the Rogue. He knows that if he channels any healing, it would also heal the beast just damaged by Eleisa’s blow. But Nirga was dying. He channels healing affecting both Nirga and Malfeshnekor. Nirga's bleeding stops and she becomes barely conscious.
The powerful Barghest shreds its claws into Eleisa, and delivers a ravaging bite all the while standing on top of Nirga.
Nirga tries to maneuver her way from below this smelly foul creature in a way not to draw attention to herself. Any attack like before would be certain death.
Eleisa hits with Nualia's sword. It did great damage to the creature.
Shalelu, all the wiser now, reaches for the magic arrows found in the Bunyip cave and hits Malfeshnekor.
Fedra sends forth another arrow dripping with acid.
The evil Outsider lands a claw and a bite on Eleisa. She nearly falls, but strikes back powerfully again with the bastard sword. Hurt and bleeding the Half Drow steps back away from the powerful creature.
Shalelu seeing Eleisa nearly fall, drops her bow, draws her short sword and moves in front of Eleisa screaming at the beast. Malfeshnekor claws at the nimble Ranger but misses its strike.
Fedra too misses with one of her acid arrows. This disturbed the young Halfling. This was not a time to miss.
Emeril moves up to Eleisa and lays a hand on her, providing the Half Drow with greater individual healing. But it was not enough to allow Eleisa to return to the fight. Nirga plays opossum, but manages to slowly shift on the floor to a spot behind the large beast.
Malfeshnekor strikes Shalelu with both claws, but the Elf manages to dodge its powerful bite. Shalelu swings with her short sword, but the blows just seem to bounce off.
Nirga slowly stands up behind the Greater Barghest.
Eleisa drinks a potion of healing, an Emeril gives her even more.
Fedra sends forth a pair of missiles that strike true.
The Greater Barghest lands a series of blows on Shalelu. The Elf falls unconscious on to the stone floor. Nirga shocked at seeing this, positions a strike with Koruvus' magic sword, and thrusts it into its back. Malfeshnekor whelps in pain. Eleisa had seen enough too. She takes a step up and delivers a critical blow to the evil Outsider. It falls. Nirga's vengeful backstab and Eleisa's timely critical strike defeated this powerful foe. Eleisa looks disgustedly at the large foul canine and cuts off its head.
Emeril races to bind and heal Shalelu. The Elf was near death. Emeril channels more healing to the entire party, and thankfully to no one else.
The party searches the room and gathers thirty magical ever burning candles and a silver coffer found on a shelf. They then return to Nualia's chamber.
When the party gets back to the hallway, they find the trap had been sprung. Bits and pieces of a Goblin was scattered about. If he had friends they likely ran back up stairs fearing a similar fate. The trap did its job protecting the party from the enemies remaining from above.
Both Nirga and Shalelu fell unconscious during the fight with Malfeshnekor. Eleisa had to back out of the fight just before doing the same. The party had no choice but to rest yet again, for Emeril’s healing was quickly used up.
Wow! Nicely-run, closely-won fight! Good reading!
From a newbie GM who has recently begun running RotRL, thank you so much for this. =)
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The Party
Eleisa Female Half Drow Fighter 4
Nirga Female Elf Rogue 4
Fedra Female Halfling Sorceress 4
Emeril Male Cleric of Desna 4
Shalelu Female Elf Ranger 3/Fighter1
An Image and Shadows
"Is there anything to eat," Fedra asks to anyone that will listen, as she lets out a big yawn. "I was so famished I couldn't sleep."
"We have told you many times, the food is out. There is plenty of water. We could go weeks without food if there is water," the stern Half Drow Eleisa declares.
"That may be true for a....," Fedra pauses staring at Eleisa, “whatever it is you are. But I am a Halfling we must eat food. Real food! Cheese and sweet meats, pastries and pies, stews and....," Fedra is interrupted.
"Please Fedra, that is enough," Emeril looks at the Halfling. "We are all hungry. We have enemies above and no telling what else is down here."
"Speaking of which, we should move on. The trap is reset, that should hold off the Goblins," Nirga encourages.
"That and the Goblin parts splattered all about," Fedra says. "Yuck."
"Not to mention Nualia's corpse lying in the hall," Emeril adds.
Emeril finishes his morning prayers and the party pushes on with Nirga taking the lead.
Fedra cast a light on to Emeril's shield.
They head back to the area where they fought the Greater Barghast Malfeshnekor. There was one room in the area unexplored.
Nirga carefully checks the door for traps. When she opens it, she is startled and immediately backs out.
"There is a man sitting on a throne," Nirga says with a start.
Eleisa gives her a sharp glance, but through her helm no one really notices. The Half Drow enters the room. She sees a raised dais. On either side are statues of a man holding a book in one arm and a glaive in the other. The man on the throne appears to be the same one as the statues. It is a ghostly image.
Eleisa with Nualia's bastard sword in hand cautiously approaches. The man is talking to someone as though addressing a crowd. The image stutters stops and begins to repeat.
"What manner of magic is this," Eleisa says as she moves to one side of the dais, the rest of the party following behind.
Fedra and Nirga both listened intently to what the man was saying, but neither could understand the language, but could make out one word, "Alaznist."
"The name of the Runelord statue below Sandpoint," Fedra notes.
"That was a human woman. This is a human man," Nirga says obviously while examining the statues. "He is carrying the same kind of book. And it has the same symbol of the seven pointed star, and just like the medallion the Aasimar was wearing."
"What does all this mean," Emeril asks looking at Fedra.
"I don't know," Fedra shrugs. "We need to ask Brodert."
"We need to get out of here alive," Eleisa adds with her usual stern tone.
GM Note: I have read way too many complaints about the lack of links in Burnt Offerings to the later adventures. This is a big link.
There was nothing else in the room. So Nirga leads the party out of this area, and to the double doors depicting two skeletons reaching out to clutch a skull between them in the large hallway that she once groped around in fear.
"Do you have to keep reminding me," Nirga scolds the GM.
She checks the door and opens it. The room is darker than even Nirga can see. Emeril approaches with the light on his shield.
Four columns support a domed ceiling in this room. Six alcoves in the wall contain standing sarcophaguses.
"This is creepy," Fedra says as she peers within.
Nirga moves into the stale air of the room. She sees a statue of a stern looking man holding a book and a glaive.
"Here is our friend again," Nirga quips looking at the statue beginning her search of the room. Eleisa was close behind. Out of the corner of her eye Nirga thinks she sees something move. Then a form strikes her out of the darkness. Immediately Nirga feels weaker. Her rapier seems heavier.
Eleisa too sees what looks like but a shadow. Then her strength fades. The weight of her armor is far more noticeable.
Shalelu sees a humanoid forms in the dim light, "Undead! Shadows," the Ranger proclaims. Then Shalelu too notices the heavier weight of her bow.
Nirga uses her remaining strength and slashes about with her rapier. But all it does is cut the stale air.
Eleisa was more successful with Nualia's bastard sword. She strikes! A horrible screech is heard.
Shalelu steps to the side and fires her arrows through the Shadows. 'That didn't work,' she thinks. "They only can be hit with magic," the Ranger warns.
"OK," Fedra says and strikes the shadowy form on Shalelu with a pair of missiles.
Emeril was in the middle of the party. Two shadowy forms were in front of him on both Nirga and Eleisa, the other behind him on Shalelu. He calls out to Desna, a power not unlike that which heals flows out from the young man. A screech is heard from all three of the shadowy forms.
Nirga drops her rapier, takes a step, and throws Erylium's repeating dagger. It strikes and return to her hand, but the shadowy forms touch saps even more of Nirga's strength.
Eleisa and Shalelu both feel more strength drain from them as the Shadows dance a cruel waltz.
Shalelu quickly touches the tips of her arrows. She finds the only magic arrow left in her quiver. She steps back and fires again at the shadowy form. It strikes with another wail.
Fedra frantically tries to distinguish between tricks of the light and form. She zeroes in and fires two missiles. It screeches! Fedra smiles.
Eleisa whirls and finds the form. Nualia's dark sword tears into the negative force.
Emeril says, "Enough!" More of Desna's goodness pours forth. Two of the three shadowy forms dissipate with the moan of centuries of agony finally coming to an end.
Nirga, barely able to stand, feebly launches the returning dagger. It misses. But Nirga sees the last Shadow's attack coming, and avoids the strength draining touch.
Shalelu knowing she has no more magic to aid, watches in horror.
But Fedra, with a renewed confidence seeing two of the Shadows destroyed says, "I got this," and launches a pair of missiles. The last Shadow's moan was a weak resignation of its fate.
The room went silent.
I like the element of hobbit-ness Fedra shows here, it's amusing.
Also, those shadows. So terrifying, even though your group had a cleric to diminish the threat they posed. That's definitely one challenging encounter at this level.