================================================================
Session 30 into session 31 –(recap)
Welcome back everyone! – Here’s what happened in our previous session.
================================================================
We caught up with the party, as they ventured into the Altar room of the claw viper temple.
However, instead of just diving into combat, the Emberguard opened up a portal to safety, and headed back into Lut Gholein.
Upon arrival at the city, the party headed to the tavern as they have done many times before, and paid for a room each, so they could spend a whole day of rest and relaxation, away from the tough adventuring life.
During the following day, Ophi and Rhyker spent some time working out which equipment she could now use, due to Ophi spending her free time to finish up her retraining… This change made her in theory more durable whilst in combat.
Meanwhile, Cinder and Kaelin sneaked out to Elzix’s establishment, and they spent their time gambling.
It turned out pretty well for them actually. Both of them managing to win their game of Snake Eyes, and at which point they stopped playing and returned to the others with their small winnings.
When the party reformed, and they were all ready to go, they gathered near to the town portal in the city dockyard square, and one by one stepped through the portal, back into the heart of the claw viper temple.
It wasn’t long before their inevitable battle commenced, as two full strength groups of vipers converged on the party’s location, ready to repel the invaders.
They immediately surrounded the party from all sides, and unleashed their attacks.
Then, Fangskin – A golden scaled larger claw viper, joined the fight.
She commanded her snake soldiers, and then burrowed underground, only to emerge once more behind the party.
She burst through the ground, and landed upon Ophi, tightly coiling around her body, as she dug her razor sharp claws into her flesh, and shocked her using natural electrical charges, that Fangskin was able to produce.
With this opening gambit, from both the claw viper groups, and Fangskin, the outlook for the battle, was already was beginning to look bleak for the Emberguard, but they began to fight back!
Kaelin slipped away into the shadows, and remained undetectable as she rained down arrow after arrow onto her targets.
Rhyker and Cinder held the front lines as best they could, holding fast against all attacks that came their way.
The fight was tough, as was expected — With Ophi being taken down by Fangskin, and Cinder being overwhelmed by a group of claw vipers, and Fangskin moving in for the take down too.
However, the only deaths that came that day, were for the snakes…. As Ophi and Cinder both recovered from their trauma’s, and eventually the party were able to kill off one of the groups of vipers, and in doing so could then focus on the other group more.
After several shots to vital areas of the body, Fangskin was taken down for good by Kaelin and a well placed arrow to the skull.
The arrow went through one eye, passing into the brain, and out the other eye.
Fangskin was dead in just seconds of this brutal attack on her, and as she fell, so too did the remaining claw vipers.
With the enemy cut down, and no other hazards in sight to contend with, the party were free to search the room for loot, and so they did just that.
A few useful kits were found, scattered about the room, and so it was finally time to investigate the dark altar in the middle of the room.
There was a small ornate looking chest on top the altar table, and upon opening it, a multitude of light orbs, broke free from from the chest, and danced around the room, covering the party in a warm orange glow that felt comforting… before forming a tall pillar of light above the altar, and darting towards the ceiling, before breaking into tiny light particles as they vanished from sight.
After the quick light show, Cinder looked inside the chest, and found a small glowing sun shaped amulet, which he claimed for himself… Not really knowing what he had picked up.
With nothing left to do there, the Emberguard deliberated over whether to walk back, or use a town portal to get back to the city.
Eventually, somehow – Rhyker convinced them all to take that long and perilous journey back, by foot.
Before leaving though, Cinder and Kaelin cut parts of Fangskin open, and between them collected up her head, and her tail.
The floor above was riddled with traps, the first ones being the Poisoned Bolt traps, which had proven to be difficult to pass by, as they fired out with such accuracy and force, that it left a very tiny margin for error when trying to bypass by them.
Making it through the deadly trap filled passageways, with a small amount of trouble, it was time to head to the upper floor, which contained the fiery death traps.
Once again though, Kaelin remembered the correct route through, and guided everyone through them once more to safety.
Once back outside, they stood at the edge of the outer temple grounds, and once more they all looked out into the direction of the sand covered open road, remembering what it was like to pass through that area.
However, choosing once again to avoid using a town portal scroll, they risked the powerful and tiring sandstorms and pressed onward for several hours, to the Lost City, wherein they quickly found the way point, and headed back to Lut Gholein.
Back inside the city, Kaelin and Cinder quickly headed to the tavern, but made a bad judgement call, and asked Atma if they could cook the serpent flesh inside her tavern.
They both got a very blunt response, as Atma demanded that they removed the demon from her establishment, IF they wanted to remain welcome to stay there.
Ophi and Nix just watched all of this unfold…. in utter amusement, but also slightly concerned for Atma.
Meanwhile, Rhyker went to visit Cain, and between them both, they were able to reforge the Horadric Staff, using the Cube… The staff is a keystaff, , it’s very important, and is also known as the Staff of Kings from legends that tell of its existence.
After the mending of the staff was completed, Rhyker reclaimed the staff as Cain pointed him in the direction of the Viz’jerei Mage, Drognan.
Rhyker left behind any items he wished Cain to identify, and bid him farewell, and promptly headed towards Drognan, to find out any information he can about what to do with the staff, Tal’Rashas’s tomb location, the palace and city grounds…. and where to go next?
================================================================
It’s here where we pick up today’s session of… Adventure in Sanctuary
================================================================