Last Session 50>> into this session 51 ((recap))
When last we met, the party were just about to get into a very tense encounter, between them, and a group of Death Clan and Dark Ones, that had chased the party to the point they now stood, and were ready to take them head on through a thin passageway.
Bosa kicked off the combat… He stepped forwards and taunted the closest Goatman he can see, this in itself was a selfless act, and made him the target of any attacks that would be coming the parties way, from the enemy in sight.
Though, the other creatures could be heard closing in also, from just around the corner… the anticipation levels were rising fast.
Zrin is next to act, and sends a flaming firebolt into the Goat Demons chest, just as the others come into sight, as do the Dark One’s appear on the opposite side of the passageway… It was here the party were to make a stand against the horde that now fell upon them.
Rhyker stepped up and held the front line with Bosa.
With his strong armour, and his auras of choice, he’s able to support Bosa to great effect, and between the two they were able to cut down anything that came close to them.
The battle was fierce, one by one the enemies of the party fell to magical and physical attacks, but, in the rear ranks of the Dark One’s were their Shamans, who liked to raise up fallen soldiers, and could also throw out some nasty twisted elemental magic of their own design, if when push came to shove.
Due to this fact, the battle started to become a bit of a stalemate, neither side really gaining any advantage for long before the opposing side pushed back.
Eventually, all the Goat Demons were wiped out, and with no way to come back to life, the battle starts to go in the favour of the party as only the Dark One’s remained.
The party pushed forwards, further along the passageway, and out of the bottleneck area, where they managed to close in on the remaining enemies that stood nearer to the back.
With defeat imminent, the soldiers started to panic and fled quickly, leaving the two Shamans wide open for attacks from the party, as they had no soldiers left to stand behind now.
Both of the Shamans took heavy damage and fell to multiple blows… the encounter was over.
After the battle, the party took a moment to search the area and heal up using the warmth of Ophi’s healing globe.
They then headed off further into the dungeon, to only be reminded that fire traps block their path, and whichever way they went, there was going to be one waiting to activate on them.
Ophi does a little scouting of her own though, and triggered one of the fire traps, which she managed to mitigate the damage by quite a bit, but it was now clear there was no way of avoiding the fire traps, and if they wanted to move further on, then they would have to brave them at some point and somehow get past them.
So with that, Scarlett decided that she will go first, and made a mad dash past the first trap, her agility allowed her to avoid much of the blast itself as each Firebolt plowed into her side.
She darted across the room to a closed door on the opposite side of the fire trap.
Once there she threw open the door with a hard shove, and moved into the next room quickly, but left the door open for the others.
Only, there was an unseen twist for her – Poor Scarlett wasn’t able to see what awaited her inside the next room until it was in her face, and as she laid her eyes upon said twist, she made sure to remain VERY quiet, and masked her movements carefully, to avoid being seen or heard.
Crouched in the middle of the room she now found herself in, and enjoying a nice fresh meal of fallen adventurer limbs, were a group of three blue skinned creatures, thin white strands of hair barely visible flowing down their neck, their fingernails dirty and blackened, pointed and sharpened, used for ripping and tearing into soft flesh, their mouths filled with a strange black liquid that seemed to mix with the blood which now seeped out the sides of their mouth, and down their chin, as they continued to gnaw at the remains of the body that was on the floor.
Their clothing if anything, was simple torn up rags, almost completely falling apart, their skin looked rotten and decay had clearly set in.
A foul stench of death could be picked up on their breath if you got too close to them, and their eyes were jet black, lifeless, yet somehow they were able to live?
Anyway – through her fast thinking and reactions, they paid no attention to Scarlett as she sneaked around the rooms edge, keeping quiet and keeping her distance from them at all times.
Ophi was next to enter the room, and followed suit with Scarlett, remaing quiet and at a good distance from these three horrific looking blue skinned creatures.
Rhyker, Zrin and Bosa, all follow after Ophi, but their limited movement makes it so they all took a hit from the fire trap one last time.
All three of them entered the room soon after, but Zrin strayed a little too close to the feasting creatures, and gained the attention of all three of the Ghouls, who suddenly stopped eating, sniffed the air, and turned their heads with a very disjointed motion, towards Zrin.
They began to rise to their feet, scrambling side to side as they moved, constantly closing the distance on him… A fight was inevitable now.
Scarlett reacted to the obviously hostile creatures, and fired her crossbow at them, but these creatures are tough to take down in just a few shots.
Zrin was then set upon by these creatures, and is torn apart by their razor like fingers in seconds, as they gouged his flesh and used their blackened teeth to bite into him, causing him to faint from the pain,and become sickened from a toxin that now had made him paralysed, and weakened.
Rhyker stepped up and took the focus of the enemy onto him, while Ophi provided yet more support with her healing globe.
Scarlett then rushed to Zrins side, after fearing he would soon die, she cast a cure wounds spell onto his still body, but it’s not enough, he is left in a very bad way still, as his body not only fights to continue on, but also fights the effects of the strong poisons that are in his veins.
The battle goes on, and eventually the last of the Ghouls falls to the attacks of Rhyker, as he decapitates it in just a single swipe of his axe.
The room fell silent, and Zrin was alive, but barely… Rhyker instantly used his Paladin powers to expunge any disease or poison that had taken hold of Zrins body, allowing him to recover with the aid of the warmth that Ophi provided still.
Whilst the others remained with a recovering Zrin, Scarlett looked around and found yet another door off to the opposite side of the room they now stood in.
She opened up the door, and scouted the next room, only to find a very pleasant sight to behold…. an inactive Way Point.
She hurried back to the party, and encouraged them all to follow her, being careful not to attract the other group of Ghouls that she had noticed waiting down the passageway earlier on.
The party all agreed and headed after Scarlett, and upon noticing the way point also, all at once breathed a deep sigh of relief, as they quickly activated the circle, and headed to the safety of the Rogue Encampment.
Once there, they all decided to take an extended amount of time in town to rest up fully, and take care of any loose ends they may have had.
This resting period came at a crucial time for the party, and as the night drew in, the camp got a little quieter than usual, the fire in the middle of the camp was by now bursting into life as some of the Rogues had already lit it to stay warm, and to keep the darkness surrounding them at bay.
The morning was just around the corner, and the party had a big day ahead of them, the possibility of one that could change their lives forever.
The morning sunlight breaks through the murkiness, and thick grey blanket of clouds above the land, that had beset the region since the takeover of the monastery, but, instead of usual excitement…. only a strong feeling of dread takes hold across the entire encampment… as they all sit in solitude in their own minds, and have a realisation of what may be.
It’s been 12 days now since the Demons invaded the Rogue monastery., and the actions of the few, could save the lives of hundreds, possibly thousands of people this day.
So, now the question on all our minds then is this…. How will it all end??
Well… there’s only one real answer to that, and only one way to know for certain — So let’s dive on in, and see what fate awaits the party, as they move to face their biggest adversary yet.
The Demoness, and one of the lesser prime evils,
The Maiden of Anguish… known as — ANDARIEL!
Act One: Episode 51 – It’s All Or Nothing!
