The Chumazuka family made its fortunes centuries ago by being ruthless and insatiable. This came to an end about two hundred years past, and the family has been trapped in their manor house ever since.
Character creation guidelines:
Everything came to an end over two hundred years ago. A woman of the highlands somehow invoked the power of a wish after she, her husband, and their children were sold to separate owners in distant lands, never to see each other again. According to her curse, all inhabitants of Onyx Hall would "dwell in bondage until the stones themselves burn like a pyre." The Chumazuka liches were transformed into lesser forms of undead, and any evil they perpetuated caused them distress.
A couple of weeks ago a man approached Onyx Hall. He introduced himself as Garavel, a servant of a powerful merchant princess named Almah Roveshki. He said that there was a way for the ownership of the Chumazuka bondage to be transferred to the princess. If they would serve her for five years then she would undertake to help the family break the curse. Many family members spurned the offer, but several of you saw that this was the best opportunity for freedom that you had seen in two centuries and accepted. You have been accompanying Garavel on his journey through the desert to meet Princess Almah.
You are all humans who chose to become liches. As part of the curse, you are no longer liches but neither have you regained your lives. You have all pulled yourselves out of your Evil alignment and worked off the penalties that the curse assigned to you as a result of it. You still have your phylacteries, which are small objects worth many thousands of gold coins. The phylacteries have been damaged due to the curse magics that wrenched your undead natures away from being liches, but they still mostly work to preserve your existence after you're destroyed. Upon death your physical body will immediately turn to dust (leaving behind any possessions) and your spirit will then be instantly transported to your phylactery, wherever it is, where it must rest for 1d10 days, after which a new lich vessel will be created for you to possess. You can undergo this process an unlimited number of times, and therefore are essentially immortal.
For this campaign, the law-chaos alignment axis will be treated as per the standard rules but the good-evil axis will use the numerical value rule from the Advanced Player's Manual. In essence, you have a Good score and an Evil score, which always total 21. Any time one is at least double the other you no longer count as neutral and instead have the alignment of the higher number. As the game begins you each have a Good score of 8 and an Evil score of 13. Various actions will require you to do a check to see if you numbers change. Any time your Good score falls below 8 you will be subject to a penalty from the curse.
This sort of curse penalty can be removed, but not easily. A ritual exists that draws on negative energy to restore your undead body. This ritual takes an hour and a successful Good check with a DC of 20. The negative energy raises your Evil score by 2.
Characters are built using the point buy system in the DMG. You each have 25 points to use for your ability scores other than Constitution (since undead have no Constitution score), plus an additional four points that have already been spent on Intelligence. You begin play with no action points, but will accrue them at the usual rate. Since you were born human you get the extra feat, as well as the skill points as you advance. You may begin with two traits (as per Paizo's trait rules), assuming that they fit your backstory.
Permissible kinds of undead are: dread skeleton, dread zombie, festrog, huecuva, Osirion mummy, and wight.
Garavel had robes waiting for the Chumazuka undead when they reformed around their phylacteries. Once they were all re-bodied they set out across the desert for the Sultan's Claw, where Princess Almah was waiting. On the way there the undead expressed their extreme frustration at Garavel's insistence on stopping every single day for such things as eating and sleeping. Ahmket took to running in circles around the group even when they were moving, just to work off his frustration.
As they crested a particular dune they were greeted by a laughing figure covered in robes. He told them that they were very unlucky and had just been captured by him and his band and would be sold as slaves in Katapesh. He saw that some of them were undead, but just assumed that they were from Geb.
A fight ensued, and the Chumazuka family made extremely short work of the slavers, in spite of being completely unarmed and unarmoured. They looted the bodies of the bandits, then pressed on. After a few more days Garavel let them know that they were almost at their destination.
PCs:
Ahmket (festrog, undead 4)
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2)
Jahi (dread zombie, undead 2)
Mert (wight, undead 4)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3)
That's fantastic, tbug. I have to laugh at the audacity of it.
Thanks, Chris! I'm really not sure how it's all going to turn out, but I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves while finding out. :D
I'll be following this one to see how they do :) Good luck, Tbug!
Thanks for the good wishes! :) I'm glad you're following along.
Please don't hesitate to share if/when you have more good ideas on what I ought to do to them. :D
Boy, pools of Holy Water would be inconvenient!
I'm putting my response behind a cut because my players might read this thread.
(Is there another pool of holy water someplace and I missed it?)
Tbug, you simply have to be the most convention-shredding DM I've ever seen. All those games that so many other DMs won't run for so many 'reasons'...you just kick in the teeth and do it!
My slimehat is off to you sir, you have a style and class all you own and you've not forgotten one of the most important rules...have fun!
Personally I haven't run an all undead campaign since the days of the 'Requiem' boxed set from Ravenloft. Awesome stuff.
Thank-you so much for the kind words! You brought a big smile to my face. :D
Someone once told me that it's the job of every single person at a gaming table (GM and player alike) to make sure that everyone else at the table has as much fun as possible. This has become my mission statement.
Garavel told the Chumazuka undead in his charge about Princess Almah Roveshki as the group journeyed toward Sultan's Claw. They were curious about her goals and the tasks she was likely to have for them. He revealed that the Pactmasters required her to reclaim the town of Kelmarane. Now that she had a family of liches working for her there was no doubt that this would be quickly achieved.
As they finally approached the Sultan's Claw they saw that there was much smoke coming from the site. Ahmket fell to all fours and rushed ahead. A brightly-coloured wagon was on fire, and the camp site was a bustle of activity responding to it. Mert healed a burn victim and the others aided in putting out the fire.
Afterward they reported to Princess Almah, who gave them the assignment of finding out what happened. Dante, Mert, and Sakaya came to the conclusion that it was a case of spontaneous human combustion, but Ahmket believed that Dashki, the local "gnoll expert", was the arson to blame. Princess Almah ordered Dashki brought before her.
While Ahmket was fetching Dashki, Dante continued to flirt with the princess. Unsure how to handle the attentions of one of the infamous Chumazuka liches, she decided that she must be misinterpreting his intentions, particularly since he lacked any flesh with which to redeem his hinted promises.
Meanwhile, Mert and Sakaya had heard of a lost goat named Rombard and were tracking it down. They came to a cactus forest that looked like it could hurt. Sakaya immediately set out to clear a trail through it, and Mert followed along behind. Soon they found Rombard, as well as a tiny fey Mert identified as a gremlin. It started attacking the undead goat-rescuers and was immediately knocked out. They kept it alive and took it back to camp, along with Rombard.
Dashki was protesting to Princess Almah that he was completely innocent of arson and that the fire must be due to the presence of pugwampis, also called jackal rats, which were probably all over the place. Almah rolled her eyes and told him to go find one then, and asked Ahmket to keep an eye on him. The two met the returning Mert and Sakaya, and Dashki insisted that the gremlin was a pugwampi, even though it was clearly neither a jackal nor a rat. Almah accepted the presence of pugwampis and went to sleep. Sakaya kept the injured gremlin and hoped to nurse him back to health, possibly for a mascot or a pet.
The next morning everyone gathered and Princess Almah told her family of liches that their assignment was to liberate Kelmarane, but that first they needed to provide her with a safe place to wait. She described the local area, and it was clear that the options were either an old monastery of Sarenrae or else a shrine to Nethys. The Chumazukas decided to check out the monastery first, since it was closer.
The monastery had been inhabited by various creatures (including an entire colony of pugwampis), but the Chumazukas made short work of everything. The only jackal rat to survive was the one Sakaya was guarding, and she has declared him to be the king of all pugwampis. The oddest occurrence of the visit was when some mold infected Sakaya's claws and turned some of her skin green, after which she immediately dug up a greatsword from the courtyard.
Though she was dismayed by the decrepit state of the facility, Princess Almah wasted little time in moving in.
PCs:
Ahmket (festrog, undead 4)
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2)
Mert (wight, undead 4)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3)
Having turned the old monastery over to Princess Almah, the Chumazuka family turned its eyes to the shrine of Nethys. Taking along the unconscious body of the pugwampi, they set out. Part way there, Jahi recorporealized around his phylactery. Mert gave him the equipment she'd been carrying for him, and they all carried on.
Poking through the ruins, they dispatched some enormous spiders, found a trap door leading down, and decided to rest for the night.
The next morning they went back downstairs, and examined the four statues they found. When Mert licked one it erupted in flames, scorching her badly. Wearing a copper mask with Nethy's face on it, she squeezed through a small passage and looked at some statues of gynosphynixes who sat there immobile. The others followed her.
Some flickering light from within the rubble at the north end of the room attracted their attention. Calling within, a voice responded. Clearing a bit of rubble away, they saw a six-horned flying head caught in a web of lightning. It identified itself as Zinsol, a div, and explained that it had been stuck in this trap for the last year and a half. It was here on a mission for its master, needing to retrieve a book from within the rubble and bring it back to him. There was a second book still intact in there, which it would retrieve for the group in exchange for their assistance.
This worked, and all seemed well until Jahi decided that he wanted to eat Zinsol's brain. Some fast talking from Ahmket convinced him to release the head with its book, and Zinsol disappeared.
Dante used detect magic on various things that the family had discovered thus far, and noticed that the wall to the south was an illusion. He stepped through it, into an ambush by three chokers. He swiftly crumbled into dust. The others, having heard the commotion, also stepped through and fought the chokers. Jahi was defeated (also crumbling to dust) before the others finished off the foes. Collecting their phylacteries, everyone waited twenty-four hours for them to reform.
Exploring the rest of the complex revealed little until they found their way into a secret chamber behind a sanctuary. There they fought a werejaguar, wondering the whole while what the story was behind all this.
PCs:
Ahmket (festrog, undead 4)
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 1)
Jahi (dread zombie, undead 2)
Mert (wight, undead 4)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3)
Since they were across the river from Kelmarane, the group decided to go straight there without first checking in with Princess Almah. Before they set out, however, Jahi's phylactery malfunctioned and he crumbled into dust. It was assumed that this was yet another side effect of the curse on the Chumazuka family. Fortunately two more family members materialized during the trip to Kelmarane, so the group wasn't undersized.
Before even crossing the river into town, the group encountered some sort of bird-woman who called herself Undrella. She claimed to be the girlfriend of the genie who ruled the Kulldis gnolls, and she mentioned that she'd be happy to betray him. She asked for the head of a snake for her stew pot, which the undead provided, and then she gave them a couple of keys for doors they might encounter.
Circling around, they entered town from the northwest and examined the graveyard. There they met a huecuva who seemed friendly until Sakaya showed him a holy symbol of Sarenrae. A short fight ensued, and the inhabitant of the graveyard was soon vanquished. The group searched the church, but were stymied by a sealed door leading down.
They sought out a patrol of gnolls they'd seen earlier, only to discover that this time the patrol was accompanied by a bipedal goat, who seemed to be the spokesman of the group. The Chumazukas claimed that they were here to trade at the battle market, and the schir looked them over then led them in.
Once inside they met a goblin who took them to the stage area. They were addressed by a big fellow who introduced himself as Kardswann and claimed to be the "Mouth of the Carrion King". They recognized him from Undrella's description as the genie who ruled the Kulldis gnolls. They started to talk, but soon hostilities erupted.
Things were going well for the Chumazukas until a gnoll cleric of Rovagug arrived, rebuking several of them. Things became very tense until he was killed, after which the gnolls were quickly defeated.
PCs:
Ahmket (festrog, undead 4/fighter 1)
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 1)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric 1 [of Gorum])
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2)
As they worked their way through the loot from the fallen, the Chumazuka undead called out jeers and challenges to Kardswann. Finally Undrella stuck her head around a balcony corner and motioned the group upstairs. A tense fight began, and suddenly Sakaya felt an overwhelming urge to scold Kardswann. Soon he was subdued and tied up, and after that the gnolls fell quickly.
With the Battle Market secure, the undead reported back to Princess Almah. She gave them the key that they needed to clear out what lay beneath the temple to Sarenrae, and they set out. Some Three Jaw gnolls had volunteered to help, so it was a large group.
There was much combat, culminating in a fight against a daemon and a well-timed betrayal by the gnolls. In the end, the undead triumphed and turned Kelmarane over to Princess Almah, who declared it open for business.
A year passed. The town had prospered, but there were still many gnolls about causing trouble. The Chumazukas were ready to leave town and embark on their next big task.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 2)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric 2 [of Gorum])
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 1)
After a year of temple building, school teaching, patrols, modeling and lich research we had settled into life in Kelmarane.
One day an old guy with some awesome sun tattoos and a pointy grey beard came to see me at my temple to Gorum. He did the rituals right the first time! Nobody does that! He said his name was Zayifid and that he had heard of us and he wanted to talk to all of the Chumazukas. I bought him a beer while he waited and went to find the others. Tori was posing for one of the Salacious Sketches she sells in the Battle Market. I told her about the beard guy and she went to find Omari at his schoolhouse. I found Dante trying to talk to the Princess again, but she was washing her hair again. She must have really clean hair!
We all came back to the bar and talked to tattoo guy. He said somebody named the Carrion King was mad that we had liberated Kelmarane and was gathering an army of all the local gnolls at some place called the House of the Beast. Dante sent Corporal Geoffrey's guard patrol squad out to scout and a week later they came back with a map and a little bit of information. Silly humans were too scared to get close! So we had to go ourselves.
We knew there were some stinky lizard guys who were fighting with the gnolls so somebody thought we should try to get them on our side. I wanted to just chop all of them with my big sword but Tori said I could do that after the gnolls were gone. Omari talked to the leader stinky lizard guy, a priest of Rovagug named Grundmoch. After some jabbering in Lizard-tongue they switched to Common. They agreed to let us in if we let them seal the doors behind us. I love it when the monsters have no where to go! It made me feel better about not chopping the lizard guys.
Inside we fought our way through a gnoll and a mist monster and some more gnolls whose big hyenas ran away when they saw Dante. Tori fell apart while fighting the mist guy but a lizard guy named Grorg came to help. He told us there were a bunch of gnolls sleeping down the hall so I disguised myself as a gnoll and went and pretended to raise the alarm. We chopped almost all of them as they ran out but one ran down some stairs. We holed up in a nearby room to ambush them when they came upstairs.
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/ bard 2)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/ sorcerer 1)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/ cleric of Gorum 2)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/ fighter 1)
Grorg (troglodyte) [played by Tori's player]
(Extracts from the journal Omari Chumazuka)
**10 Calistril 4710**
After a day spent in the ridiculously small room with my cousins, I was having vivid memories of our incarceration in Onyx Hall. We listened to the gnolls guard, who had escaped us earlier, return with reinforcements. They believed we had fled back to the troglodyte encampment and set about building makeshift fortifications. At least the time allowed Mert and Tori to reform.
Once we had rested and the gnolls had dug in, focusing all their attention away from us, we launched our attack. Bursting from the door we took them by surprise. I weakened the leader, Tori and the Grord blocked the escape route and the rest of the cousins ploughed into the gnoll force. (Despite myself, I cannot help but be amused when Dante feigns injury after being hit with a bladed weapon. I am not completely sure that this is a trick and not another symptom of his belief that he is still alive)
Sakaya and Mert's whirling blades, combine with the Ghost Sound of a troglodyte force breaking through the fortified doors undermined the confidence of the gnolls and they quickly began to fall. Grorg, next to Tori, fell quickly, allowing a couple of the gnolls to escape downstairs. The rest were dispatched.
Turning our attention to the surrounds, we found a small hole that seemed to open into a room with at least one magic item inside. We cleared debris in an attempt to work our way to the room. Again I was forced into hours of manual labour instead of simply casting a spell to remove the obstacle. Curse this weak form!
We eventually made our way to the room and found a lab/study. All his notes are in Terran! Every time I remember a language, I encounter another that I have forgotten! The only thing I could read was a religious text. Useless!
In disgust I lead the charge to find something to smash. Heading to the 'Whispering-something-or-other', describe by the superstitious Grorg (healed with potions found on the gnolls), we noticed that the floor was moments from crumbling, so thought better of it. Deciding to go upstairs to face the Giant Scorpion described by Grorg, the cousins first decided they would distract it by chasing the still fearful hyenas up to it. It ate them.
We charged up and quickly dispatched the beast. As it seems the gnolls do not come up here often (if at all) he are resting here.
**11 Calistril 4710**
I started the day on a particularly proud note, with Sakaya casting a spell to allow here to read the notes (that I should have deciphered in seconds!) in the books we found. They mention the Pit of Screaming Ghosts, the resting place of a supposedly famous gnoll (!). It is said to contain the Scroll of Kakashon. The writer believes that the scroll hides the directions for reaching a storehouse of weapons and treasures related to Nex. He thinks the Pit is under this temple. I think that it is likely this Whispering pit may be related to the Screaming Ghosts Pit.
We then headed down, to the level that the gnolls had escaped to yesterday. It seems they had again assumed that we had fled the temple, as we found many in their beds. One room contained some clerics who were powerless against us. This is what comes of putting your trust in the gods - Ha!
Lastly, we came across a slaver named Amwyr Yuseifah. He was imprisoned, after his deal with the gnolls had soured. While I dislike his profession (I can barely believe I just wrote that. As recently as a year ago I would have claimed his 'inventory' as my due for releasing him - if I didn't just leave him to rot and 'appropriate' them).
He provided a little information about the gnolls and our lost holdings in Katapesh (due to 200 years of unpaid back taxes).
The cousins were all for leaving him locked in the cell until we came back for him, but they were reminded that we are supposed to be trying to do 'good' to fight the curse. This worked, so now we are the proud caretakers of a decrepit slaver - why do I do these things?
-----------
PCs
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/ bard 3)
'Mighty' Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 1/fighter 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/ sorcerer 2)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/ cleric of Gorum 3)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/ fighter 2)
Grorg (troglodyte) [played by Tori's player]
(Further extracts from the journal Omari Chumazuka)
**11 Calistril 4710 (continued)**
We came across a maze covered in writings in an archaic dialect. I say ‘maze’, but it had a large thoroughfare through the centre of it. We spent approximately two hours studying these writings, learning about at least two supposed entrances to the Pit. However, there was also mention made of the need to keep the Pit secret and I am suspicious of the accuracy of this information.
While we deciphered dubious writings, Jahi reformed (Again I am vindicated in keeping the phylacteries outside of the Haversack – who knows how long it would have taken for us to notice otherwise).
Of course Mert fell into dust during this same time. This is maddening! I cannot determine the pattern of when one of us will crumble or reform. Curse this inadequate huecuva brain!
Jahi immediately wanted to eat something. What good is being undead if one must still consume food? (and it does seem that his hunger is genuine, not like Dante’s stubborn refusal to see the truth)
We sent him down the hall to feast on the fresh gnoll cleric corpses, but he could not keep the directions in his head and called back to us for clarification. He soon returned with a gnoll head on a stick. The rest had already begun walking through the corridor that fairly screamed, “huge traps here!” – this, despite my warnings. I can only assume that they must, long ago, have fallen into disrepair, as we did not spring a single one.
Opening the large doors at the end of the corridor, we were greeted by more gnolls and the Carrion King himself – ready for us, having heard Jahi’s earlier shouts. One disappeared almost instantly and we did not give those remaining much time to press their advantage.
I weakened the huge Carrion King and tripped up some more clerics with Grease. Seeing me as a threat, half the gnolls were sent to deal with me. I was easily able to avoid or absorb their hits.
Dante began by singing that song of his again. He must be improving though, because for the first time we all felt somewhat heartened by this music (it only took him 201 years). We worked together to dispatch those fools daring to strike at me. He still insists on (s)hamming injury when anyone strikes him with an edged weapon.
Jahi immediately began to wrestle with the King, trying to pin him so that he could feast on his brain. (I believe I need discuss, with him, discerning the proper time and place to be focusing on eating) He did manage to keep the King from crushing him, but did not succeed in getting a good enough purchase to crack the skull.
Tori and Sakaya laid to with wild abandon, taking much of the damage dealt be the clerics. These were smarter than the last – instead of trying to rebuke us, they dealt damage by channelling healing energies from wands.
Jahi eventually succumbed to extremely large amounts of damage, but had provided us with the time necessary to clear away the dross standing between us and the most physically dangerous. Before he died, the Carrion King called out to the gnoll who had disappeared. He did not return. Not until we had killed his former allies, that is.
Thinking we were the regular sort of simple minded adventurer (not too far off the mark in the case of the cousins) he tried to spin a yarn about dispatching us to fetch him some artefact. Knowing this was the false Rokova that the troglodyte priest had warned us about, I played along only long enough to get within striking distance. Unfortunately he was still too quick for me and disappeared again.
Searching the throne of the Carrion King (centered over a charnel pit), we found a lever, which revealed a stairway leading further down. Reasoning that this might be one of the Pit entrances mentioned in the maze writings we resolved to follow them the next day.
Pausing only to decapitate the King for Jahi, we went back up to the huge scorpion/spider corpse and rested beneath it.
**12 Calistril 4710**
Going about my morning routine, I was moving to affix Jahi’s phylactery to my belt, along with the others, when, piqued by some of his actions of the previous day I flung it at my feet and mutter his name. Almost immediately, he began to reform. Thinking I had finally struck upon a way to reconstitute us without relying on chance, I quickly tried the same with Ahmket and Mert. Nothing! This damnable curse would be the death of me, if that were not impossible. What is the pattern!
When Jahi was presented the head of the Carion King, he declared, “I’m so happy.” Would that it took so small a thing to lift my mood.
Venturing down, we saw that the bodies left in our wake from yesterday had been thrown down into the charnel pit (one assumes). Must be vigilant for ‘Rokova’. Descending the secret stairwell, we found ourselves in a not altogether unpleasant garden, light by unusual crystals.
Immediately investigating four large stone statues, I inadvertently triggered a summoning of four Rhasts. As their primary attacks are gazes and poisons (my vast knowledge begins to return) they were not much more than an annoyance to us. Even though I told him to run, Grorg seemed rooted to the spot for some time, before finally taking heed – worrying about the welfare of others is no easy task. It was determined that the trap was self renewing, so we decided to keep clear and investigate the rest of the area.
Jahi and Dante foolishly ate berries from the garden and were instantly harmed, but Grorg seemed to suffer no ill effects, actually seeming to enjoy them very much.
Moving on now.
Omari was able to read the Terran words around the contraption in the corner of the garden, and at his command things moved around and allowed the group to descend. Their thought was that someone was waiting for them below to ambush them, so they tried to smoke him out by calling to him as they went down the stairs.
Sure enough, this provoked four undead djinn into flying toward them. Uninterested in their fellow undead, the incorporeal creatures concentrated on Grorg the troglodyte, who almost immediately fell to their cold touches, tumbling from the stairs. After that the undead djinn became bored and flew back to the ceiling, leaving the Chumazukas to stare at the wealth of nations spread before them.
Deciphering the runes on the stone columns poking out of the treasure, Omari realized that these were some sort of traps for undead. He advised the rest of the group to avoid touching them, so they slogged through the gold. Some of them could tell that the treasure wasn't real, but not everyone was sure.
Eventually one of them went to retrieve Grorg's body, which had fallen into the piles of coin. It looked like he had been partially dissolved. Checking on their own feet they realized that their footgear was similarly affected, so they hurried out of the apparent treasure into the hallway at the far end of the cavern.
Past the only door was a statue of a great tentacled beast. They pondered what to do, deciphering various hints and clues. Once they figured out how to get past it safely they ignored their deductions and wandered in, wakening the beast. Combat ensued, but it proved not as challenging as they thought and soon it lay quivering before them in its death throes.
Pressing on, they discovered a tomb. Sakaya felt very excited by it, and opened it. She knew instinctively that most of the loot was not what mattered, but rather the scroll case was what she needed to protect.
Spending several hours, they searched through the rest of the catacombs. They found many dead people with odd changes to their physiologies, but nothing else of value.
Returning to the garden above they once again triggered the guardian rasts, which they dispatched. They took some more injuries in the process, but didn't feel it worth expending magic to heal themselves.
Climbing through the secret passage beneath the throne, they noticed that there were a number of gnolls as big as the Carrion King tied up in the pit of corpses. A couple of them investigated this while the others started to leave the throne room. Once one of them started to get close to the pillars someone unseen called from the vicinity of the throne: "Now!"
From behind each pillar stepped a gnoll. Those close enough threw alchemist's fire at the undead. Simultaneously, more gnolls started to run into the room behind the pillars from an adjacent room.
After a few rounds of fighting, a flind cleric with a great many body piercings was close enough to rebuke them in the name of Rovagug. This proved very effective, and between that and the many other gnolls in the fight things started to turn against the Chumazukas. Every couple of rounds one of the big gnolls would stand up in the carrion pit, its bonds apparently cut or otherwise released. Once an enormous bug emerged from the pit things were more or less over. Sakaya was the last of them to fall.
An indeterminate amount of time later they all woke up. The most valuable of their equipment (though no containers of any sort) lay in a heap around them, in a very cramped location. They seemed to be in a cramped cylinder six feet in diameter and ten feet tall, with no way out. The Scroll of Kakishan was not with them.
PCs
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 4)
Jahi (dread zombie, undead 2/fighter 1)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 1/fighter 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/sorcerer 2)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 4)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 3)
The Chumazukas were able to figure out how to maneuver in the tight space within what they determined was a portable hole. Fortunately, Mert was good enough at squeezing around that she could free everyone from being stuck beneath a pile of treasure and equipment.
They were disappointed to discover that a lot of their stuff was missing, but most of their valuables were around (though none of their cash). After a lot of prep work they had to settle down and wait.
It took many hours, but eventually the top of the hole opened. Sakaya and Tori and Mert all scrambled out, discovering the old cleric who had called himself Zayafid when he warned them of the gnolls at Pale Mountain. He tried to grab the portable hole but Tori was too good at disarming, so he vanished without it.
They were in a bedroom, with the door barred from the inside. Someone knocked, then a gruff, female voice called out. "Sir? Is everything okay in there?"
Mert lowered her voice, coughed, and declared everything satisfactory.
Once he was out, Dante used magic to disguise himself as Zayafid. Omari took the portable hole then everyone but Dante went out a window. The discovered that they were on the grounds of a three-storey house across the river from Katapesh City. Looking around, they discovered that there had very recently been a battle and that some gnolls were patrolling and gathering the fallen. Making themselves look like gnolls (except for Mert, who still looked like a wight), they introduced themselves as reinforcements. They were welcomed, but clearly the gnolls already there were disgruntled that they hadn't arrived a few minutes earlier.
Meanwhile, Dante left the bedroom. He was in a sitting room with a number of paintings, and a female gnoll was standing while a female human was sitting. They both looked at him expectantly?
"Any luck?" asked the gnoll, clearly the same voice as earlier.
"Not so far," answered Dante.
The human reminded Dante that he was on a tight schedule, and took her leave. Dante told the gnoll, whose named turned out to be Shiz, to wait with the others then started looking around. He found an old man badly hurt in another bedroom on the ground floor, and used a wand he'd found in Pale Mountain to heal him. The old man (Rayhan) told him that the raiders had taken the scroll.
Dante told all the gnolls that the reinforcements would take guard duty for a while, and sent them off to get some sleep. He warned Shiz that there was an imposter who looked like him and might try to trick her into following his intructions, and gave her a secret word so that she'd know which of them was the true King Rokova.
Once the gnolls were gone the Chumazukas went to Katapesh City, though Omari took the opportunity to sweep most of the old man's library into the portable hole first. Dante went shopping for cheap mithril chain shirts that cost far less than they ought to, and everyone else tried to discover where the thieves might have taken the scroll.
PCs
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 5)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 1/fighter 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/sorcerer 3)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 4)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 4)
Dante was anxiously awaiting his discount mithril chain shirt at the agreed-upon rendezvous site. Soon a very tall woman entered, her blonde hair in braids that reached to her waist. She approached Dante, using his assumed name, and told him what an honour it was to make the delivery to him. She blushed deeply when he smiled at her and paid her a compliment. He gave her 175 gold for the mithril chain shirt, and before running off she agreed to meet him at midnight.
When he picked up the chain shirt he noticed that it was quite a bit heavier than he'd expected. A more thorough examination revealed that it was a regular chain shirt with a short-term illusion spell on it.
Meanwhile, everyone else was busy trying to find the One Source merchants. Ultimately they were successful, and along the way found out that someone else had been asking the same questions not long before. While they were waiting to meet up with Dante they planned for how to face (once again) someone who was clearly Zayafid. They decided that the best tactics for this instance involved running at him with big weapons, but that the next time they should have dimensional anchor prepared.
Eventually they all arrived at the One Source warehouse. It was clear that someone had been there before them (eg from all the dead guards). Sakaya's keen hearing detected one barely conscious guard who was trying desperately to hide from them. She jumped on him, screaming, and as he began to flee he fell over completely out cold. They brought him around and bribed him with healing to tell them about the complex.
When they heard about the cockatrice room they got quite excited, thinking that they could capture them as pets and take them around with them (or possibly even ride them). When they got there, however, they found the cockatrices and a female half-elf already dead, along with a slain gnoll (and two odd gnoll statues).
They poked around downstairs for a bit, and eventually surprised a priest of Rovagug as he was finishing his completions for battle. Mert quickly struck him down, and a few rounds later he arose as a wight. Obedient to her commands, he told them what to expect up ahead.
As they passed through the chapel, Shiz and two gnoll clerics of Rovagug attacked them. After a few rounds of combat a voice rang out, commanding everyone to stop fighting. All obeyed.
The voice identified himself as Zayafid, and accused the Chumazukas of being untrustworthy deal-breakers. He went on to say that there was no need for them to fight since they all wanted the same thing. He said that he would tell the Chumazukas what he knew of what lay ahead of them in exchange for access to Kakishon. He said that he didn't need to own the scroll as long as he could travel there. They accepted the deal.
After managing to make it over the rickety bridge and being told by Mert's wight minion how to avoid setting off an alarm, they met an old acquaintance from centuries past. The captain of the Sunset Ship favourably remembered past deals with the Chumazuka slavers, and proposed purchasing Father Jackel from them. He gave them a vial containing a dream, and said that if they put it into the betentacled amorphous blob that lay ahead then it would deal with Father Jackal. They accepted this deal, and Tori took the vial.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 5)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 2/fighter 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/sorcerer 4)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 4)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 5)
Finally they were ready. Accompanied by a gnoll cleric (by arrangement with Zayifid), they rushed into Father Jackal's inner sanctum. There they were very lucky, hitting Father Jackal with a hold monster spell before he could act. Also in the room were a mummy (which they surrounded and killed), a halfling (who promptly disappeared when he saw which way the battle was going), and an amorphous blob with tentacles (that ate the priestess who was holding the vial of dreamstuff given to them by the captain of the Sunset Ship).
That fight over, they said their farewells to the captain, collected their prize money, and left. They found a secure place on the outskirts of town and Omari began the process of studying the scroll (using the library he stole from Rayhan). After about a month of work during which Sakaya cast as many divination spells as she could, they finally knew how to activate the scroll.
While this was going on, Dante decided to entertain people in the streets. He had a number of patrons, and generally was well received. Tori opened up a branch of her small business to produce salacious sketches, and also made some money. Seeing a chance to change her ways, Tori gave the money she made to charity. Mert turned a number of piglets into wights and then split her time between entertaining at orphanages on the one hand and raising money with the undead piglets on the other. She gave the money she made to the orphanages.
Part of the deal with Zayifid was that he was allowed to enter Kakishon once. They sent him a message telling him to meet them at the Immaculate Repository, and rented a meeting room within the temple. They arranged that fifteen minutes after they left an employee of the bank would enter the room, collect the scroll of Kakishon, and store it until they showed up to reclaim it.
Once everyone was in the meeting room, Omari and Sakaya began to open the scroll. Before they even got to the point of selecting a destination, however, there was a fiery explosion and the six of them were forcibly drawn into a vortex. A number of large, fiery people flew past them as they entered. Looking back, the Chumazukas saw them blow a hole in the ceiling of the temple before they scooped up the scroll and closed the portal.
They group ended up on a beach, in what looked like a tropical environment. The Chumazukas prepared to murder Zayifid, but before they could a beast emerged from the sea.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 6)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 3/fighter 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/sorcerer 4)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 5)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 5)
As the beast in the sea raised its heads, Zayifid tried to do something supernatural and was shocked and dismayed that it didn't work. He started to run away. While the others made short work of the hydra, Jahi sprinted after Zayifid and tried to eat his brain. The attempt was unsuccessful, and one of Zayifid's other attempts to disappear succeeded. Jahi had to be content with the many brains of the slain hydra.
While this was going on, a sea turtle swam up to the beach and coughed up a tube. While some of the Chumazukas examined it, others were more curious about the turtle. Mert in particular was interested in having it stay with them and be an advisory beast, but Jahi ran up to it and tried to pin it. Shimmering, it transformed into a two-armed snake and then disappeared. The tube included a small, blue egg as well as a parchment exhorting them to slay a golden ram and then visit the sender of the message on a distant island.
Declining to shy from the challenge, the Chumazukas spent the greater part of the day hunting across the island. Eventually Mert was able to track the beast. After a tough fight they defeated it, claiming the spoils in the form of some gold plates that served as scrolls as well as a pair of horns.
They returned to a small building near the burnt pier they'd noticed earlier, and prepared to allow their spellcasters the meditation they required. During the night they encountered a patrolling band of gnolls. Though there was initially some hostility, this was defused before any fatalities. The gnolls provided the Chumazukas with some information regarding the islands.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 6)
Jahi (dread zombie, undead 2/fighter 3)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 3/fighter 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/sorcerer 5)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 5)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 6)
Mert went to the end of the burnt pier and blew her horn. Soon a ship arrived, piloted by a construct. After they boarded they gave it the egg that they'd received from the turtle, and its eyes began to glow. It turned away from the island and began an hours-long journey.
The Chumazukas began to get nervous when they started sailing into fog, and even more nervous when they heard a distant roaring. They started making jokes about sailing over the edge of the world. As they got closer to the sound and became more convinced that it was a waterfall they made more jokes. They were thus less than completely surprised when the ship sailed over the edge of the world.
The trip was far from smooth, but they managed it. After a while, the ship had righted itself and began a very slow trip. It eventually arrived in a fogged-in harbour, which it filled to capacity. The Chumazukas disembarked, and the ship left them behind.
Entering a cave, they were curious about its strange composition. They explored some rooms, but found little other than some powerful dissolving agents. Eventually they discovered a larger chamber that contained not only a pool of dissolver but also some furniture and two elves. One of the elves introduced herself as Lahapraset, and welcomed the Chumazukas as her champions. She told them that they needed to slay all of the genies as well as a lord of disease. In exchange she offered to help them regain their lichdoms or even their humanity, should they desire it.
They promised to consider it, and Lahapraset gave them another egg. She then transported them to the island called Khandelwal, one by one. Omari held back, and accepted her offer of lichdom restored. She spent an hour restructuring his soul and told him that it would take effect soon.
After they were reunited, the Chumazukas looked around Khandelwal a little and then Mert blew her horn and summoned another ship. They'd heard that a so-called lord of disease lived on Rukhsana, and they thought that they would kill him first before moving on to the genies. As they sailed into the Isles of Night they saw many krenshars and ettercaps, some of them undead.
Several ettercaps greeted them when they docked, and after some tense negotiations agreed to lead them to Lord Kemhotep. Omari looked up at this name, but wasn't sure if it was the same person. It turns out that indeed Lord Kemhotep was the individual who took in Omari as a child and taught him to hate religion. They began catching up with each other, and Kemhotep told Omari that after the Chumazukas were sealed in Onyx Hall he became curious about what kind of powerful magic could do such a thing. His investigation showed that it had been accomplished by a wish from Lord Jhavul, and so Kemhotep had gone to work for him. He had been stranded in Kakishon ever since being caught up during the war.
While they were digesting this, Kemhotep revealed a great victory: one of Lord Jhavul's ancient enemies, a genie known as Zayifid, was willing to betray his ancient cause and ally himself with her former enemies. Kemhotep was looking forward to being released from Kakishon and returning in triumph to his lord's side.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 6)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 3/fighter 1)
Omari (huecuva, undead 3/sorcerer 5)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 5)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 6)
Omari confessed to Kemhotep that the curse had robbed him of his wizardly abilities. He had regained some, but had no spellbook. Kemhotep chided him, then gave him a blank blessed book and permitted him to copy some spells into it. Omari took a week doing this, while others gathered information.
The week revealed in particular some information about a weaponsmith who lived on the island of Khosravi. He was an enemy of Jhavul, and Kemhotep mentioned that he'd be happy if some nasty fate overtook him. The Chumazukas promised to investigate him.
After the week had passed they set out for Khosravi. They saw an enormous black spire but, forewarned by the ettercaps, they avoided it and pressed on to the volcano. The heat would have been oppressive to anyone alive, but the Chumazukas pressed on without hesitation.
The smith turned out to be an azer named Artel Norrin. He was brusque with the Chumazukas, wishing to concentrate on his work. When they told him that Jhavul had escaped from Kakishon he was crushed, and started to become despondent. The Chumazukas encouraged him to continue his work, and promised to help him by fetching some crystals from atop the black spire.
It turned out that the spire was surrounded by an anti-magic field. Approaching cautiously, the Chumazukas were attacked by a large force of ghasts. The fight was difficult, but ultimately the Chumazukas were victorious. Needing healing, they retreated out of the anti-magic zone.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 7)
Jahi (dread zombie, undead 2/fighter 4)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 5)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 5)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 6)
Climbing the black spire, the Chumazukas discovered a ruined meeting complex. They were able to harvest eight chunks of crystal, and they very carefully descended the spire and returned to the volcano. Artel Norrin was delighted, and told them to return in two days to collect the axe he had nearly completed.
It was about dawn when they made it back to the island's wharf, and they summoned a ship. As it approached they noticed that a young human woman was aboard, along with several jann. They invited the group to dinner at the ruins of the pleasure palace of Nex, on Kakishon Island. Since the ship was going there next anyway they saw no reason not to meet a potential new ally, and they accepted.
The rubble was controlled by a woman named Dilix Mahad, who before long was revealed to be a shaitan. Her overriding goal was to escape Kakishon and get revenge on Jhavul. The Chumazukas told her that they knew of a way out of the demiplane, and she immediately started assembling a team. After dinner they summoned another ship and set sail for Khandelwal.
Approaching the Golden Bowl, Dilix warned the Chumazukas about Obherak's ego, and explained that she had brought him gifts. When the group was challenged they spoke very humbly and requested an audience with Obherak, expressing a desire to give him things. He appeared, and Dilix threw herself on her face before him and told him that he had been right and that she had been wrong, and that she had brought him spoils that had belonged to Jhavul.
The Chumazukas started to explain about the Earth Seed and how Obherak could use it to escape, but he brushed aside their explanations by saying that he already knew about it and had no desire to leave paradise. Dilix begged to be allowed to go, along with her people, and Obherak was persuaded to allow it.
Everyone descended into a large chamber with a stone suspended in its centre. Dante convinced Obherak to take the unconscious protean stuck in the stone and toss him through the portal. This proved successful, so Dilix and her team similarly dove through. Unfortunately, the members of her team native to Kakishon were unable to follow her.
This alarmed Omari, who had had his soul reconfigured so that he was now considered native to Kakishon. He attempted to use the gate, and was unable to do so.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 7)
Foukayna (wight, undead 4)
Jahi (dread zombie, undead 2/fighter 4)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 6)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 6)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 7)
As the Chumazukas waited for a ship to take them from Khandelwal to the Isle of the Dead they brought Mert up to speed about everything that had been happening since they'd last seen her. The ship took them to the Isle without incident.
When they arrived at the Isle, Mert determined that there was magic on the stairs leading away from the pier, and Omari confirmed it and said that it was necromantic. Mert said that it was activated by walking all the way up the stairs, and speculated that she could probably disarm it. Sakaya and Tori took that option away by sprinting all the way up, with Tori singing as they went. When the process invigorated them, Mert and Omari followed suit (with Omari making sure to be extra dignified in the process). The island lacked visibility in the dark, so Tori took a swim around it to get a feel for its layout.
The group decided that the first thing they should do is look at the platform behind four columns. As they approached, a huge air elemental appeared and attacked them. After Omari exhausted and blinded it, it targetted him in its whirlwind form and flew him a long way up and dropped him. He did not survive the process, though his contributions made it easy to finish it off. Once it disappeared, however, an earth elemental appeared. It was a tough fight, and Tori died before the group defeated it. When a fire elemental showed up immediately followed the earth elemental's death, Mert called for a retreat. She scooped up Omari and Tori's phylacteries while Sakaya held off the fire elemental.
Mert and Sakaya enjoyed themselves on the island for a day while waiting for Omari and Tori to reappear. Once they did, the family moved on to the mausoleum. There they were questioned, and in the process Sakaya was disintegrated. Scooping up her phylactery, the group retreated and waited for another day.
Once the four of them were reunited they entered the mausoleum and encountered a wyrmskull named Venema and a magical cat named Spooky. They had a long discussion and learned much, and when they left Spooky accompanied Tori.
Upon returning to Khosravi, they received Zenzirad, a magical falchion, from Artel. He wished them well, and they felt it was time to put their escape plan into action.
Everyone but Tori and Sakaya went into the portable hole. Sakaya put all of her equipment (including her phylactery) into it, then they shut it and gave it to Tori. Sakaya cast dismissal on her, then after she vanished Sakaya hopped into the liquid hot magma of Artel's workroom.
Tori appeared in her bedroom in Onyx Hall, back on the material plane. Sadly, the curse preventing the Chumazuka family from leaving Onyx Hall was still very firmly in place.
PCs:
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 3/fighter 1)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 6)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 7)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 7)
The curse around Onyx Hall was still in full force. The curse that had been laid on the family so long ago had been revealed to be a wish granted by Jhavul, but this knowledge was no help in escaping.
Sakaya cast sending and let Garavel know that they needed rescuing again. He sent a frantic response that he'd be there as soon as he could be, and that the princess had been captured. Another sending, this time from a Pactmaster to Omari, told him that help was on its way and that he should lower his mental defenses. He felt someone scrying on him, and he allowed it. Soon Kardswann, the former templar they'd freed from mental domination, teleported in and gave Omari some boots of teleportation.
Having some time to kill, they thought they'd poke around in Onyx Hall. Mert wanted to go back to her suite, but wasn't sure she wanted to be seen. As she skulked about she was spotted by Chenzira Chumazuka, her great-grandfather. She tried to bluff him, but was not successful. He followed her to her suite, asking how she was and how the mission was going and why she was avoiding him, but she slammed the door and told him that nobody was home. He left to find his father (Abar, the demi-lich patriarch of the Chumazuka family).
Meanwhile, Kardswann was asking if there was any food around. The pactmasters had sent him off without giving him a chance to equip for a journey. Tori remembered that Mert had a magical bowl that they'd used to create gruel to feed to the slaves, so after some scheming with her family Tori snuck off to get to Mert's suite.
Or so she thought. As she opened her door and walked out, Chenzira was there looking for any other returning Chumazukas. He was delighted to see her, and asked her how her mission to get rid of the curse was going. She dithered, and he told her that Abar wanted to see her. Everyone decided to go.
Abar was glad to finally get word of their mission after about a year and a half of silence. He reminded them that they had planned to return much earlier for some supplies, which were set aside for them ready to go. After a long report he declared his satisfaction and the state of things a year and a half into their five-year mission.
They had a day or two to wait for Garavel to arrive. Mert worked on some pottery (making a mug for Tori in the process) and everyone else caught up on their own personal projects. Kardwann hid in Tori's suite.
At the promised time, Garavel trudged into view. He looked haggard. Vultures were flying above him, and a lone jackal trailed along behind. He waved tiredly and set up his table a couple of hundred feet from the edge of Onyx Hall's perimeter. Kardswann (being the only one who could leave the grounds) started to chase away the vultures. Suddenly, the jackal turned into a great big dog, teleported to Garavel, and killed him. He looked at all the Chumazukas, peered at Sakaya in particular, and growled, "Stay!"
Then he vanished.
Everyone looked at Sakaya. She admitted that she knew who the dog was. It seemed that a few centuries back she'd held a hound archon prisoner, torturing him on a regular basis whenever it tickled her fancy. When Onyx Hall had been cursed he'd escaped. Clearly he hadn't lost interest in her in the intervening centuries.
After some discussion, it was decided that Kardswann would use a magic item (Mert's Basin of Irresistible Taunting) to use sending to contact Nefeshti. Soon she arrived, and when the situation was explained she raised Garavel from the dead. She also updated them on the situation with Kelmarane and Jhavel, and told them that they had fourteen days before he finished his ritual.
Once Garavel finished his ritual the Chumazukas tossed their equipment into the portable hole, gave their phylacteries to Garavel, and allowed their bodies to be destroyed. They awoke a day later in the monastery outside Kelmarane. Needing some preparation time, they teleported to Absalom and went shopping.
PCs:
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 5/fighter 1)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 7)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 7)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 8)
The group deliberated a great deal about purchases to make in Absalom. There were great discussions about the best ways to hurt the things they knew they'd be facing, and they made elaborate charts to assist their decisions. Finally, after much time spent shopping, they teleported back to the outskirts of Kelmarane (leaving Garavel behind with his consent).
Joining Kardswann, they crept toward Kelmarane. Their first objective was to secure a watchtower, making sure that the alarm bell wasn't rung in the process. Mert was very intrigued by the alarm bell, and was sure that it would have a very pleasing resonance, but her family members prevented her from finding out.
Once the genies guarding the guard tower were killed, the group moved on to a gatehouse. They'd heard that there were giant spiders guarding it, but it turned out that actually they were retrievers. There was a nasty fight, but in the end the Chumazukas were triumphant.
PCs:
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 5/fighter 1)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 8)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 8)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 9)
The retrievers were down and the Chumazukas (accompanied by Kardswann) had accomplished two of the four assignments that Nefeshti had given them in Kelmarane. Their third was to secure a guard tower occupied by at least a half dozen genies. Mert snuck ahead to take a look, but was spotted. Combat ensued, but a quick confusion spell got things off to a good start for the undead.
After the fight, a voice whispered in Sakaya's ear that she had managed to kill her enemies, and that soon there would be more people to fight. This voice had whispered in her ear several times in Kelmarane, and she was enjoying it.
The final assignment that Nefeshti had given the Chumazukas was to reclaim the temple from the followers of Rovagug. Mert wasn't so sure, being tempted herself to become a follower of the Rough Beast, but in the end deciding that slaughtering people was probably a form of worship. The hundred gnolls outside of the temple proved susceptible to Omari's fear aura, and soon everyone was inside. The fight was intense, and Kardswann did not survive it.
Searching through the temple, the group found the few surviving acolytes of Sarenrae. There was initially some hostility against the undead, but when Crest (Sakaya's assistant priest of Gorum) was healed enough to speak then he explained who everyone was.
He told Tori that her assistant manager had left a package for her, but that he had been captured at the same time as Princess Almah and taken into the tower in the middle of town. The group prepared to assault it.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 7)
Foukayna (wight, undead 4/rogue 1)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 5/fighter 1)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 8)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 9)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 9)
The priests had been rescued, and the Chumazukas called it a night. The next day they decided to take out the tower. Sakaya called up a planar ally (Sarga, a ten-foot-tall woman seemingly made of ice) and off they went. The archers on the top level were annoying, so they began by teleporting up there. Archers don't fare well in melee, and things looked to be going their way. At this point Kalbiel became visible as he attacked Sakaya.
Some background on Kalbiel:
This is from the player choosing to take the Magical Knack trait, and making up the backstory. I decided that Kalbiel had fallen, applying the template from the Book of Fiends. He's now a Lawful Evil cleric of Lorcan, with the Healing and Repose domains.
Sakaya was astonished, and became more so when Kalbiel did critical damage in spite of her being undead. She tried to disarm him, and failed. She tried to sunder his flail, and failed. Sarga tried to smack him, and failed. Omari tried to disintegrate him, and managed to do a little bit of damage but not much. As the archers continued to fall to the others Kalbiel told Sakaya to keep it up, and maybe he'd whisper in her ear some more. Then he teleported away.
Sakaya was very shaken, but the group knew it needed to press on. Omari disintegrated the wall of force that was separating them from the next floor down and then they entered Davashuum's quarters. This was a tougher fight, and Sarga fell to Davashuum's attacks before Mert was able to get into flank and finish him off. Sakaya sundered Kalbiel's flail, leaving him standing there holding it in two pieces. He teleported away, looking displeased.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 8)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 7/fighter 1)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 9)
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 9)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 10)
Jahi approached the Brazen Tower from the outside, throwing open the front doors and walking in. When he saw the two huge fiery dragon-shaped elementals he screamed for help and ran away.
Upstairs, the other Chumazukas heard the sound through the open shaft and descended quickly to the ground floor. Their protective magics against heat and fire were still in place, but nonetheless Tori fell to their attacks before the were finished off. Fortunately there was sufficient magic to resuscitate her.
In the basement was a statue guarding a door, which the undead dispatched. They freed some prisoners from behind the door and discovered that until recently there had been efreet in the room with the statue, but that they had made some wish bargains and whisked themselves away.
The Chumazukas acquired some intelligence on Pale Mountain troops, and prepared for their final assault on Jhavul.
PCs:
Dante (dread skeleton, undead 2/bard 9)
Jahi (dread zombie, undead 2/fighter 5)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 7/fighter 1)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 9)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 10)
(Extracts from the journal Omari Chumazuka)
**9 Desnus 4710**
Dante has not reappeared and Jahi is gone again.
With the new information, we took our spoils and made a final trip to Absalom to prepare as well as we are able. We sold many of the items we have found, barring the fire-resistant, collapsible boat This seems like too unique of a creation to simply barter away. I have bought the scrolls to permanently give myself the ability to see magical auras and things hidden via invisibility.
Having seen how some of us had spent our wishes with Nefeshti, Mert had a flash of inspiration (it had to happen eventually) - She decided to spend her first asking for guidance regarding her further wishes. She realised that although Nefeshti was not skilled enough in wishcraft to remove the Chumazuka curse, we could wish for her to be able to add to it. As we will be facing a number of fire-using or -based creatures, Mert chose to have Nefeshti curse us with increased vulnerability to cold, by giving us a flame based nature [*the fire subtype*]. This should make us resistant to a number of their attacks. Even so, the numbers we will be facing are formidable.
Hopefully, our idea to use the clerical ability to find the shortest path to a locale will allow us to find Jhavul before we are overwhelmed. Of course, it may lead us straight to his strongest allies. I must admit that a part of me wishes it to fail - it frustrates me that even on, what may be my last day before true death, I must rely on the powers granted by the gods.
**10 Desnus 4710**
Still no Jahi or Dante, but we cannot wait any longer.
We teleported directly to the throne room under the House of the Beast. There were a few guards but, in the dark, we were able to enter and seal the passage under the throne before they approached close enough to see us. In the passage, we cloaked ourselves in invisibility and headed downwards.
Moving quickly through the false treasure room we entered the garden. There were a group of gnolls that we could have easily overcome but, a terrible surprise (!), Kalbiel, Sakaya's 'puppy' stood with them. A Hound Archon, driven so insane by her tender care, that he spent centuries plotting his revenge, eventually choosing to become a lich mere days ago. The sight of him was enough to freeze us all where we stood.
Turning at our approach, it was obvious that he could see us, but instead of attacking, as he has in the past, he addressed us - more accurately, me.
He proposed that he would assist us against Jhavul in return for Sakaya's phylactery. Sakaya was willing, but I was paralyzed by indecision. Not only having him end his allegiance to Jhavul, but side with us, would be a massive boon - maybe enough to turn the tide. However, putting my cousin at the mercy of this crazed beast did not sit well with either my familial loyalty, nor my new-found conscience. Playing for time, I proposed an addition to the deal - that he not harm Sakaya in any way until after Jhavul was dealt with. He quickly agreed.
During our conversation, the gnolls looked on in confusion. Unable to see us or understand our conversation, coupled with Kalbiel's apparent
calmness, they did not know how to proceed.
Becoming mildly annoyed (I think) with my hesitation, Kalbiel decided to depart, leaving the deal on the table for when next we met. He became
invisible and silently approached the (apparently empty) room that we had investigated on our previous visit. The fool did not realise that I could still see him as he entered the portal that opened from that room.
Waiting a few moments, we quietly followed. Kalbiel had moved on.
We found ourselves much deeper underground. I can only imagine that the heat would have been a great burden if not for Mert's wish.
This seemed like the perfect time to have Sakaya Find the Path to Jhavul's inner sanctum. We were led through one of three paths to a lake of lava.
Setting invisibility on the folding boat, we dropped it into the lava, drawing the attention of the leader of some nearby salamander guards.
A 'Suggestion' that now would be an excellent time to take a break, somewhere else, sent them on their way, none the wiser.
Making our way along the 'path', as dictated by Sakaya, we saw a busy forge off to the side. The fire giants manning it were no immediate danger to us, so we passed by without disturbing them.
Nearing the end of the path, we saw the bones of an incredibly huge creature - the Firebleeder. On the outcropping on which it rested, we noticed two figures. Unfortunately one of them noticed us and pointed us out to the other. As I scrambled to get the four of us flying, the second began casting.
As the second finished his spell, the voice of my old master, Kemhotep, rang out, "Ah! These are the ones I was telling you about, Lord Jhavul. The Chumazukas."
Playing for time, I greeted them and finished the Fly spells.
Once we made it to the platform, Kemhotep completed his introductions, fully expecting that we were there to join Jhavul's cause. We did not disavow him of this assumption and squeezed every drop of information from them that we could. Our haste had not been in vain - Nefeshti's initial estimate had been far too generous with the time remaining - Jhavul confided that he was a mere two days from fully integrating the Firebleeder's power. He was already able to use it to perform powerful scrying effects by entering its skull. He claimed that he would immediately be leaving this plane, but whether he would be able to contain that much power and still remain sane is unknown. All this to impress a woman! Ridiculous!
During this time Zayafid (that annoying gnat) teleported to us and immediately began whining about how we could not be trusted and were great betrayers. Thankfully Kemhotep countered with assurances of our trustworthiness.
Seeing that this was an area that we would be able to teleport to, I attempted to arrange that we would leave and return closer to the time of the 'Ascension' - planning to prepare and return within minutes. Possibly thinking that my about-face was real, Sakaya had had enough and attacked.
The battle was vicious. Spells and mighty blows traded. Kemhotep called out that I should be spared, but Jhavul ignored him to the point of blasting him as well, killing my master's familiar. This made him turn on the Jhavul, weakening him - but Jhavul immediately dispatched him. I remember little after this point (the others have filled in the gaps). An icy rage washed over my mind.
Apparently, I continued to weaken the enemy, Zayafid was put down while the others furiously traded blows with Jhavul. Seeing that he was moments from death, Mert struck him with her wight attack, turning him into her minion. His guards approached, but the flying warriors and I made short work of them. They tell me that only Jhavul's promise, to return Kemhotep the next day, returned me to myself.
We rescued the prisoners, including Alma, who still expects the remaining three years of service from us. With Jhavul under Mert's control, our curse should be ended tomorrow morning.
I feel strangely drained. I think I may take a break from my journal for a while. The others are already making plans for the future. We shall see what comes of them.
PCs:
Sakaya (huecuva, undead 3/cleric of Gorum 9)(Ritual effect => Clr 12)
Mert (wight, undead 4/rogue 7/fighter 1)
Omari (lich, diviner 3/sorcerer 10)(Ritual effect => Sorc 13)
Tori (dread skeleton, undead 2/fighter 10)