Mother of Flies - Sessions 42 and 43: The Lord of Shadows

Dramatis Personae

Alfaren “Alfred” Eredel – Elf transmuter

Alizander Carmelizzia - Human (Varisian) sorcerer

Boecca – Half-orc inquisitor of Erastil

Carlos Santiago - Half-orc (Alkenstarian) evoker

Slavé/Jancen – Tiefling (in guise as a human) rogue/assassin

Tavo Dechirent - Human cleric of Pharasma

Starday, 30 Pharast, 4709 A.R.

The Returners continue their assault on Walcourt, doing battle with the minions of the Lord of Shadows – vampire spawn, a vampire sorceress, a small army of shadows, and a menacing, inky-black denizen of the plane of shadow that Alfred recognizes as a nihiloi, or devashade. Following the battle Carlos discovers an interesting folio in the sorceress’ chamber, a beautifully illustrated edition of ‘The Six Trials of Larazod’ with an inscription on the front cover that reads: “Property of Thesing Umbero Ulvauno”, the insufferable blowhard who gave the Returners a hard time during their stint as actors.

While Alizander, Tavo, Carlos, Alfred, and Boecca battle Ilnerik’s minions, Slavé continues his search through the dungeon and finds several Wiscrani nobles barely alive in a small holding cell. One of the nobles he recognizes as Eirtein Oberigo, a crafty and sly man the Returners last met at Aberian Arvanxi’s Cornucopia party many months ago, following their performance in The Six Trials of Larazod. Slavé assists Eirtein and discovers the noble was a member of the Council of Thieves under Vassindio Drovenge. For Slavé’s help in escaping Walcourt’s dungeon, Eirtein tells him the following:

· Ecarrdian’s and Chammady’s bid to take over Westcrown has been pushed forward by the interference of the Returners, and it won’t be long now before they launch their endgame.

· There is a lower level to the dungeon, accessible only through a very well-concealed and magically-locked secret door. To locate and open the secret door requires a magical ash to be smeared in the eyes of the searcher.

· The secret guild treasury is located in the lower level.

Finding their way to the secret undercrypt of Walcourt, the Returners first face an exotic, six-armed giant guarding the Council treasury. Alfred recalls reading about the violet-skinned being long ago - a calikang, an ancient and much-diminished race of giants from the distant Vudran peninsula, prized as guardians for their ability to enter periods of long stasis. The calikang puts up a mighty fight, killing Tavo with a blast of electrical energy, but finally succumbs to the Returners’ greater numbers.

As Tavo lays dead on the floor of the treasury, his soul exits the material plane and enters Pharasma’s boneyard. Rather than transitioning from Pharasma’s boneyard to serve the goddess in her spire as a devoted follower, Tavo has a vision of a grim hellscape – dense boreal forest coated in grey, ashen snow; harsh wastelands and craggy mountains interspersed with massive stone and iron fortifications. Looming above one of the fortifications is a thin, pale-skinned devil in coal-black armour wielding a black short sword, a legion of devils and undead behind him, beckoning to Tavo:

“Lorcan I am called. Welcome to forever, devoted one.”

With a painful gasp the vision is suddenly over. Tavo opens his eyes to find himself back in the Walcourt treasury, the sail retrieved from Delvehaven and embroidered with the breath of life spell draped over his body, Alizander sitting beside him. “Welcome back friend,” says Alizander, “it’s not time to visit your goddess just yet.” Tavo speaks nothing of the upsetting vision he had during the few moments he was dead.

Slavé wastes little time moving on and opens the door leading south from the treasury, leading straight into the resting place of Ilnerik Sivanshin. Two open stone sarcophagi covered by a heavy grillwork of iron bars reside in the east and west alcoves of the room. The half-elf vampire leans against a block of stained marble at the far end of the room, his eyes shimmering with hate, swarms of shadow rats crawling over him and throughout the room. He pulls the Totemrix out of a pocket, bathing the room in darkness, before Slavé hastily slams the door shut again. The final battle against the master of Westcrown’s shadows begins. The Returners rush to position themselves, opening the door to his chamber and bombarding it with fire and other spells. The vampire himself is nowhere to be seen at first, apparently invisible, but Alizander notices a lever on the far side of his chamber move, and the two sarcophagi in the east and west alcoves begin to fill up with water. The screams that come from the rapidly-filling sarcophagi sound very much like Nagiphax and Rhialto, and Alizander and Slavé rush into the room to rescue them. Ilnerik finally shows himself, appearing in the midst of Carlos, Alfred, Tavo, and Boecca without warning, furiously attacking each of the startled Returners and warding off Tavo’s attempts to use the Morrowfall against him. Slavé manages to slip in and disarm Ilnerik, stealing the Totemrix right out of the vampire’s hands. As the shocked vampire stares at Slavé in shock, Boecca gets the upper hand with a halt undead spell, freezing Ilnerik in his tracks. Tavo strides confidently up to the half-elf vampire, brandishes the Morrowfall in his face, and unleashes a killing beam of pure sunlight, vapourizing the vampire into oblivion.

Slavé reluctantly hands the Totemrix to Alizander, who reunites with Morrowfall and Totemrix into a single unit – the Aohl. As the two artifacts come together, the magical powers they emanate suddenly cease. With the defeat of Ilnerik Sivanshin and the reuniting of the Morrowfall and Totemrix, the oppressive shadow-threat looming over Westcrown’s nights for the last 30 years is lifted once and for all.

Treasure

· From F8. Silana’s Chamber

o Rare edition of ‘The Six Trials of Larazod’ (worth 750 gp)

· Promised reward from the Oberigo family

o 500 pp (worth 5000 gp)

· From F10. Treasury

o +2 ghost touch chainmail (worth 12,650 gp)

o +4 full plate emblazoned with the symbol of Abadar (worth 8825 gp)

o Sword of the planes (worth 11,315 gp)

o Light crossbow +3 (worth 9167.5 gp)

o Ring of protection +4 (worth 16,000 gp)

o Staff of healing (worth 14,800 gp)

o Carpet of flying, 5 ft. x 10 ft. (worth 8750 gp)

o Horn of blasting (worth 5000 gp)

o Bronze griffon figurine of wondrous power (worth 5000 gp)

o Philosopher’s stone (artifact)

o 108,406 cp (worth 1084 gp)

o 27,312 sp (worth 2731 gp)

o 8480 gp

o 2323 pp (worth 23,230 gp)

o Gems (worth 27,750 gp)

o Magnificent jewels (7) (worth 35,000 gp total)

o Art and furniture (14) (worth 28,000 gp total)

· From Ilnerik Sivanshin

o +3 leather armour (worth 4580 gp)

o Amulet of mighty fists +2 (worth 10,000 gp)

o Belt of physical might +4 (Strength, Dexterity) (worth 10,000 gp)

o Ring of protection +3 (worth 9000 gp)

o Rod of shadowy splendour (worth 12,500 gp)

o Boots of teleportation (worth 24,500 gp)

o Jewelry (worth 3000 gp)

o Walcourt master key

Experience

· Vampire spawn (4) – 4800 xp

· Nihiloi – 12,800 xp

· Silana, vampire sorceress – 6400 xp

· Shadows (8) – 6400 xp

· Calikang – 19,200 xp

· Ilnerik Sivanshin – 51,200 xp

· Story Award (banishing the shadows from Westcrown) – 36,000 xp

· Total – 136,000 xp

· Per PC (6) – 22,800 xp

· Fame points (rescuing Eirtein Oberigo) – 1

· Fame points (banishing the shadows from Westcrown) – 5

Current XP Total per PC

· Carlos, Slavé – 135,769 xp

· Alfred – 133,214 xp

· Boecca – 133,194 xp

· Tavo – 129,124 xp

· Alizander – 127,784 xp

Fame Points - 27

What Lies in Dust - Session 22: Delvehaven, Part V

Dramatis Personae

Alizander Carmelizzia - Human (Varisian) sorcerer
Boecca – Half-orc inquisitor of Erastil

Carlos Santiago - Half-orc (Alkenstarian) wizard
Slavé/Jancen – Tiefling (in guise as a human) rogue

Tavo Dechirent - Human cleric of Pharasma
Vaeden Corleone - Human rogue

Toilday, 9 Abadius, 4709 A.R.

Vaeden is the first to react, and strides confidently into the room to confront the cloaked figure. As he crosses the threshold, he catches something out of the corner of his eye – another figure in the room, clinging to the high ceiling like a spider. Vaeden calls back to the rest of the group to let them know there is another enemy in the room before advancing on the cloaked figure. Vaeden holds a string of garlic bulbs before him as he advances. The cloaked figure recoils from the garlic, averting his red-glowing eyes from the hated substance and brandishing his barbed short sword in defense.

The vampire spawn on the ceiling spits a curse at Vaeden and orders him to step away from Master Jair. Vaeden ignores the undead thrall’s compelling voice and continues to rebuke the cloaked vampire – Jair. Jair, meanwhile, steps away from the repellant garlic and invokes a prayer to Norgorber, the Keeper of Secrets: “By Norgorber’s will, the world shall evermore be hidden from you, its secrets forever dark.” Vaeden senses a dark shroud covering his eyes and is struck utterly blind.

Carlos pulls out the scroll of sunburst from its case and shouts for everyone to get out of the room and behind cover. Before the vampires are able to react, he reads the words on the scroll. The letters flare into brightness as he reads each word. As he finishes the scroll, the illuminated letters grow more brilliant, until the brightness seems to coalesce into a single blinding bead of intense light and heat. Jair and the vampire thrall look on in dismay as the bead travels into the room. The bead reaches the far corner of the room and seems to implode upon itself, growing suddenly dark before exploding into a supernova of blinding, burning light. As the Returners eyes readjust to the dim light of the vault, all that remains of Jair and the vampire thrall are two human-shaped piles of grey ash. Jair’s short sword, chain shirt, and golden unholy symbol of Norgorber lay on the floor near the ash.

Jancen, meanwhile, continues exploring the vault at the end of the hallway, and retrieves several other items from small plinths in the circular room. These include a mithral rapier identified as “Whisperlash, the dueling sword of Baron Augustine II, the Cold Veteran of Oppara”, a well-preserved, five-fingered, long-nailed mummy’s hand identified as “Hand of the Pharoah of Nagas, Osirion”, and an exquisite chess set of alabaster, ebony, and mother of pearl identified as a chess set gifted from Taldor to Cheliax in 4315 AR. As Jancen is examining the finds, he sees a figure coalesce out of red mist nearby. Luckily, Jancen imbibed a potion of invisibility before advancing into the vault and remains unseen by the figure – a ragged-looking vampire thrall.

The thrall spends several moments in the vault, looking for evidence of the one who managed to retrieve the Morrowfall and stop its erratic bursts of light. Jancen quietly makes his way back up the hallway. Meanwhile, Alizander leaves the room with the remains of Jair and his thrall, and makes his way towards the vault. As he rounds the corner he notices the thrall heading back down the hallway. The battle ensues once more, and Boecca, Vaeden, Tavo, and Carlos rush toward the vault as they hear Alizander in combat. As the fight against the single vampire spawn continues, two doorways to either side of the stairway leading back up to the cellar open to reveal two more vampire spawn, and another vampire leader – this one broad-chested and wearing little more than short breaches and an extensive array of swirling, maze-like tattoos. The vampire steps out of the door opened by his vampire thrall and fires two shots from a massive repeating crossbow at Carlos and Alizander. The brutish vampire spits a wad of sticky, clotted blood when he sees Alizander: “Filthy Varisian, you’ll be the first to feel my teeth tearing into your flesh; I’ll suck you drier than an Andoran spinster.”

Thankfully, for Alizander, the tattooed vampire’s threats do not come true, and the Returners defeat the remaining vampires lurking in Delvehaven’s vault. They follow the vampires’ retreating mist-forms to their nearby crypts – hastily established in the old Delvehaven mausoleum. Under Tavo’s advice and instructions, the party drives a wooden stake through the body of each vampire and grisly remove each vampire’s head in order ensure that none of them will return to haunt the halls of the old lodge ever again.

With the vampires destroyed, Jancen finally makes himself known once again. The group quickly searches the rest of the vault level, discovering several ancient treaties in one of the rooms. Boecca, new to the group and unused to Jancen’s devious methods and habit of striking out on his own, confronts the limping rogue, demanding to know where he was and if he had to do anything with the bursts of light suddenly ceasing.

Treasure:

· From Vahnwynne Malkistra’s body (elven vampire)

o 2^nd Wooden stake +1 (worth 1150 gp)

o +1 leather armour (worth 580 gp)

· From Father Jair

o +1 chain shirt (worth 625 gp)

o Short sword +1 (worth 1155 gp)

o Wand of inflict moderate wounds

o Masterwork hand crossbow (200 gp)

o 10 poisoned crossbow bolts (poison not yet identified)

o Gold unholy symbol of Norgorber (worth 200 gp)

o Master Liriam’s wayfinder (worth 250 gp)

· From The Mazeflesh Man

o Repeating heavy crossbow +1 (worth 1350 gp)

o 20 bolts (worth 1 gp)

o Golembane scarab (worth 1250 gp)

· From the Amber Arca (vault)

o Whisperlash, mithral rapier (magical, properties currently unknown)

o Hand of the Pharoah of Nagas (magical, properties currently unknown)

o Taldoran chess set (worth 3500 gp)

o The Morrowfall (minor artifact, properties currently unknown)

· From the Chamber of Treaties (values currently unknown)

o Treaty – Declaration of Haliad I, ca. 4138 AR

o Treaty – letter from Count Andachi, ca. 4042 AR

o Treaty – Minkai declaration of war, ca. 3616 AR

o Treaty – letter from Shadowcount Thenris IV of Nidal, ca. 4577 AR

o Treaty – Taldoran peace treaty, ca. 2133 AR

Experience Awards

· Father Jair, vampire cleric of Norgorber – 3200 xp

· The Mazeflesh Man, vampire fighter – 3200 xp

· Vampire spawn (4) – 4600 xp

· Story Award (securing the Morrowfall) – 9700 xp

· Total – 20,700 xp

· Per PC (6) – 3450 xp each

Current XP Total per PC

· Alizander, Carlos, Slavé, Vaeden – 30,745 xp each

· Boecca – 27,990 xp

· Tavo – 25,410 xp

· Total Current Fame Points – 12