On the 8th day of the 5th Month, that one called Bear, they woke well-rested and satisfied having destroyed both a devil and a golem. While discussing plans, Ferris offered that he would return home to deliver word to Stoyk, the young paladin that he ought to come to Tosasth. His particular abilities would be beneficial to confronting yet another undead lord. The rest of the party agreed and resolved to rest for several days. The sun shined brightly over Tosasth. Only wisps of far-away clouds were spotted.
On the 14th, Stoyk arrived at the Ebril Estate along with Urgesh, Bottoms and Azrak. This last companion was most welcome and surprising after his long absence questing for his stolen ring. As the greetings concluded, Tienarth related an unusual experience.
I was standing at at the window upstairs. In the distance, I spied an unfamiliar sight: the figure of a bird floating over ruined rooftops. It drifted closer, becoming recognizable as a ebon-feathered raven. Presently, it alighted on the window sill and matched my gaze. Suddnely, my consciousness dived into the inky black orbs, and I found myself transported to another time.
I gazed down on Tosasth as a thriving metropolis. Wagons laden with fresh wheat wound down the north-south road. Jolly elves stumbled from a tavern, arm in arm only to be stopped by a dour dwarf in a red coat. He shouted incomprehensibly, then lead the two supposed miscreants away.
Gliding southward, I saw the tower at the Morwenys Estate. A beautiful, feminine face, full of life, looked up as my form momentarily passed before the glowing sun. She turned to a lordly elf who had just emerged from a stairwell. He kissed her hand, and after a few words, pointed out towards the cathedral, still glorious in that ancient age. Then, a dark cloud formed over it. Lightning struck down behind the walls. The two regal elves embraced as if comforting themselves against some dire fear.
After a time of lazy drifting, I followed the elf lord as he mounted his steed and road proudly through the city, arriving at Nimue’s Tower. He sneered down as he passed by two dwarves in plate armor, then dismounted and handed the reins to a servant. A laborer tread heavily through double doors bearing a huge steel hoop on his back.
I wheeled away from the scene, rising on warm winds away from the city. The vision ended, and the raven was no longer before me.
Tienarth’s Vision
Penelo Elixidor
They resolved to find the residence of Penelo Elixidor during the day. They’d observed no undead wandering the streets during daylight and met no resistance while winding through the ruins. They found the humble two-story house based on descriptions given by the ghost Petfaren. Aderian attempted approach via the front entrance and leaped back as the rose bushes animated threateningly. They circle around to the back, gaining entrance into a kitchen.
From the kitchen, they found a dining room where Urgesh destroyed a portrait. Next, they found a sitting room containing three iron statues and an iron box in the fireplace. Azrak made to affix a grappling hook and promptly fell through a trap door, into the basement where he discovered a wicked machine. Four demonic figures marched to keep a large wheel turning. Green goo slopped out of a pipe into a funnel, then down a pipe through the floor. Urgesh, Aderian and Stoyk soon headed into the basement themselves. The impish demons jeered at the barbarian who then smashed through their glass enclosure, grabbed one by the neck and held it under the streaming goo. It gurgled but didn’t seem hurt from the mysterious goo.
Now free from their enslavement, the imps flew free, attempted charms and dodge sword swings. One transformed into a spider. The rest turned invisible, except that Stoyk’s ability to detect evil continued to reveal their locations. In the end, two were killed and two escaped.
Next, Aderian led them upstairs where they pushed into an old bedroom where a lifeless mummy lay. A silver cage sat on a nightstand. A spider was inside. It wiggled it’s legs, charming Aderian who immediate turned to strike Urgesh. Tienarth immediately dispelled the enchantment, which brought Aderian back to his senses. They squashed the imp masquerading as a spider. Aderian rustled through the bedroom, find a nice platinum comb.
Filled with enthusiasm, Aderian at once stepped down the hall and swung open the next door. Inside, he face a decrepit figure who was Penelo Elixidor, once a high priest of Molok and now a vampire. Beside him were four ghasts. He stood up from his chair to express surprise as the presence of living beings.
At the sound of commotion, Urgesh sprinted in to confront the vampire. Meeting his gaze, Urgesh was instantly charmed. Fortunately, Stoyk stepped close to Urgesh. The holy aura of the paladin suspended the charm over the barbarian. Aderian produced a bone of St. Jaludi and hurled it at a ghast, turning it to dust.
Penelo responded by tossing a curse in the form of purple lighting at the former pirate. Instantly, he saw worms crawling under his skin. As the battle went on, Aderian would seem mesmerized by the illusory worms. Bottoms brought forth a web spell that coated the ghouls and the vampire, which merely slowed them.
Riffle, the stout dwarven warrior, brother to Raffi, rushed in to fight the ghasts. He shrugged off a clawing at first, but a second attack by a ghast ended in it plunging his undead claw into the dwarf’s chest to extract his still-beating heart. The ghast devoured it with glee.
The vampire, tangled in webs could neither attack nor cast another spell, so it turned into mist. Meanwhile, Tienarth produced a wall of fire that filled the back half of the room. Now smoke mingled with the mist as the room caught fire. The ghasts had fallen to blows, but now giant rats approached from behind. The party members in the back began hacking at the creatures. The location of the vampire could not be known
Once the rats were destroyed, Aderian found stairs to the attic where he found six child-sized coffins. Urgesh rushed to his side. The coffins burst open as six vampire spawn lifted into the air on bat wings. Then mist coalesced into the figure of Penelo Elixidor once again. He raised his hands and summoned a cloud of insects that filled the attic. The bugs stung them while the the vampire spawn continued to attack, injuring Urgesh.
The charm on the barbarian was still suppressed as Stoyk stayed by his side. Rage filled eyes, driving him towards the vampire who then suffered two mighty blows before once again turning to mist. Meanwhile, Azrak, who had fled the insects downstairs was pursued by the vampire spawn. The rest of them followed and together they destroyed the unholy children.
Smoke from the fire had wisped into the attic and became thick on the second floor. They scrambled downstairs and out the back door. Tienarth lingered and produced his wand of treasure finding. He located a drawer full of silverware, then left the burning mansion. Aderian asked his bag to locate the skull he remembered Penelo grasping. It pointed downward and to the north. They briefly considered sending the halfling down the 2′ pipe into which the green goo had flowed.
Together, they wanted the old building burn, one of the few built of wood left standing. Then, the ground shook, reminding them of the earthquake felt when they closed the portal in the cathedral.
Molokotu!
From various directions, they heard a bells ring and sirens blare. In elvish, a shrill announcement seemed to come from unseen mouths. Tienarth translated for the rest of them.
Attention, emergency news!
Attention, emergency news!
Molokotu is going toward the Doukreg area!
Immediately escape, catch up, find shelter please!
Immediately escape, catch up, find shelter please!
Emergency Annoucement
Looking towards the tallest landmark, Nimue’s Tower, they saw a larger shape rise two hundred feet above it’s top. The vicious grin of Molok atop a metal body turned to scan the view. They rand towards the tower to get a better view as the behemoth reached down with a mechanical arm to clutch an entire house. It raised building, a mere toy in the giants claw, as zombies tumbled from open windows to splatter on cobblestones. The monster then crashed the ancient house down, smashing it to pieces.
“The great project…” Tienarth muttered.
End Notes
- Treasure
- Silverware worth found by Tienarth (1,000 gp)
- Platinum comb found by Aderian (2,300 gp)
- Kills 1855 / 206 xp each
- 4 Ghasts guarding Penelo 500 xp
- 10 Giant rats 130 xp
- 5 Imps 625 xp
- 6 Vampire spawn 600 xp
- Characters
- Aderian (fight, lead) 20,231 xp
- Azrak (fight) 208 xp
- Bedanas 103 xp
- Bottoms 206 xp
- Ferris – returned home
- Jerker – stayed at Ebril Estate
- Jonas 103 xp
- Longstream 20,206 xp
- Riffle – heart eaten by ghast
- Stoyk (fight, protect) 20,231 xp
- Urgesh (fight, in front) 20,210 xp
- Tienarth (avoid combat, use magic) 20,210 xp