EPISODE THIRTY-FIVE: Reunion, Part One (Level 14)
The Players:
Kristy Eagar (Nirvani)
Mike Eagar (Sadhai)
Kent Lloyd (Kloric)
Adam Rodger (Arhuzimel)
Steve Lloyd (Dragor)
DM: Graham Ward
The spiders crept along the ceiling into the personal quarters of the High Chief, which they found occupied by a sleeping Torquos. As they stepped forward, a trap sprung from a sagging bag of bloody flesh hanging from the ceiling above the bed. It shot a web of gory sinew that wrapped around Sadhai. He managed to pull it off and dice it up on the floor.
A shriek issued from the trap, waking Torquos and sounding the fortress’ alarm. As the attackers pummeled Torquos, he melted into a puddle of blood, and oozed out an arrow slit onto the tiered walls. Kloric flew out above the fortress as a swarm and saw a mass of infected colonials climbing up its walls, evidently the undead victims of the White Pox centipedes.
A grunt and clang from the metal door of the chamber announced the arrival of a new enemy, barely visible through the small holes in the latticed door. Sadhai and Arhuzimel teleported to the outer wall for a shot at Torquos, only to discover the undead plague victims climbing up the pyramid. Each had only a gaping cavity for a face, and their bodies were full to the brim with filthy, burrowing centipedes.
As they each felt a bite, and the shooting pains of the burrowing centipedes ran through their skin, Sadhai drew the black sword from the neogi den and channeled its power as a last resort. All the undead halted in place. He felt them in his power. Quickly he commanded them to descend and fight each other to the death. They did so, and the threat was eliminated.
Everyone nearby sensed a terrifying evil presence. The air was thick with it. Ava’s boon to Nirvani activated, a premonition of evil that made white Ravari marks appear on her body, but it was a moment too late. A shadowblade pierced her back. Turning, she saw that Arhuzimel was not himself – his eyes glowing and misty, a simultaneous rage and glee painted on his face. Nirvani wrested herself from the blade and touched the shade with a soothing prayer. He was released from the mysterious possessive influence and backed away.
Reeling from the sword-wound in her back, Nirvani again felt Ava’s warning – “Find Sadhai.” She flung open the latticed door. On the other side loomed a huge, black chain devil, draped and bound in razor-sharp stretches of chain-link. She cried out “Hayyoth!” in all her winged glory, then darted past into the main hall. There Sadhai dropped from a smoke-hole in the ceiling, and they headed back into the fray.
It wasn’t long until the warriors had struck the chain devil dead, but not before it had possessed Arhuzimel and used him to deal a serious blow to Dragor. As the party quickly escaped, they found Fastus (in True Glory form) carving up the last of the White Pox victims and colonial guards with his falchion in the square in front of the high fortress. He flew into the air beside Nirvani and the griffon-riders, and they all flew out of the city’s sight.
XP: 2,440 Each
[Infested High Fortress Encounter: 9,700 XP
Role-playing Reactions to the Nightbringer: 500 XP
Killing the Vizier Devil: 1,000 XP
Killing the Gorechain Devil: 1,000 XP
TOTAL: 12,200 XP]
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