Wandered Roads 9

Wandered Roads of Varisia
Session 9
March 25, 2012
Campaign Timeline

Black Magic Woman

Symbol of Lamashtu

The intrepid adventurers continued their explorations of the dungeon level below the Goblin stronghold at Thistletop. Having already encountered more than their fair share of opposition, the group moved more slowly and cautiously, following the overly confident Dwarf, Ehlyna, and her booted foot as she kicked door after door down. Eventually the heroes ended up in a dark temple of Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters and were treated to a horrific sight. 

Upon the Demon Goddess's dark altar sat a Goblin performing a haphazard and bloody sacrifice of his own. One crow lay dead and a second crow flopped around, wounded, in a pool of its companions blood. The Goblin immediately leapt off the altar but not before yelling curses in the Goblin tongue. The temple, it turned out, was also the home of two previously resting demonic dogs. 

Woken from their slumber by the Goblins curses, the large creatures (shoulders nearly 5 feet high) quickly charged at the party, one of the letting lose a frighteningly shrill and hollow bay. Ehlyna, Kallin and Ellie were all terrified by the sound of this otherworldly hound. Ellie lurched over and began retching and vomiting over a nearby railing, Kallin was stunned, frozen in place for several seconds, while the brave Ehlyna was affected the most by it. Her staunch bravery was turned inside out and she was sent into a panic, dropping her deadly axes and running around the temple chamber waving her arms and screaming.

Eventually, the demon dogs were dealt with as well as the cowardly Goblin who tried to flee the scene during the melee. Kallin and Calina were both very distraught about the wounded and dead birds and they both went to investigate. Kallin found that he could help the wounded bird with his magic and in a moment, it was good as new, though it did not want to leave its companions side. After a few moments, Kallin noticed another crow, this one a a ghostly spirit crow that no one else could see. It flew around and alighted on Kallin's shoulder. The still living bird also decided to follow the heroes out of the temple when they left, though it was not quite ready to sit on Kallin's arm yet. 

Kallin and his new friends

The group then pressed onward and came to the conclusion that they had explored every area of this level of the complex and that it was time to move back to the secret door that was identified when they first descended to this level. They were surprised, or not so surprised, to see that the body of the dead sorceress was no longer where she had fallen, and a bloody smear indicated that someone had dragged her body through the nearby secret door and down to a lower level. 

Carefully, the party descended and quickly found a whole other level below the first one. This level seemed different, older. It was also canted slightly to the west, making the floor on a perpetual slant. Many desecrated instances of Thassalonian runes and markings could be seen here and there, but it appeared as if someone was defacing them or trying to chip them directly off of the stone walls and doors. 

After passing through an entry chamber, the party stumbled across what turned out to be a very deadly trap. Fortunately they were able to bypass it, first by nimble feet, then by clever magic. While trying to get past the dangerously animated pair of statues that made up this trap, the female mage appeared again down the hallway and started taking pot-shots at Ellie and Daellin. She was quickly put down (again) by one of Calina's deadly accurate arrows. 

After passing the trap, the party moved on and continued exploring and looking for their quarry, Nualia. Entering another chamber, they were disappointed to find that Nualia was not there, but after just a few moments of searching, the door behind them burst open and Nualia strode in commenting that she was done playing around and that now it was time to die. She was accompanied by the traitorous Half-Elf Tsuto (Ameiko's brother) and another one of the demon dogs. The battle raged on with the tide turning back and forth.

Nualia

As the battle began, the demon dog cried his terrible cry, making Daellin quake in his boots. Overcome with a terrifying and sudden fear and hatred of dogs, the normally reserved Elf launched into a bezerk frenzy, trying to destroy the beast. Shortly after that, things looked grim for the brave adventurers as Ehlyna was expertly disarmed by the skillful Tsuto while several others tangled with the demon dog and Calina and Daellin were forced to engage in melee after a tricky spell of Nualia's snapped both of their bow strings. Eventually though, Ehlyna was able to ready her 'favorite' axe, previously given to her by Aldern Foxglove, proclaiming her the 'Hero of Sandpoint' with a horrible likeness of her emboazoned on its face. She promptly beheaded the sneering Half-Elf, Tsuto and then moved in to support the others battling the crafty and powerful Nualia as several others managed to finish off the demon dog.

Continuing Story Doc

Continuing Story Summary

Shortly after, Nualia, clearly drained from her use of Lanashtu's dark magic and without any support, is pressed back by the heroes. She is eventually slain, as was her companion, by an axe blade to the throat. She goes down in a heap, her head several feet away from her body, dark blood pooling on the cold, stone floor.

An eerie silence fills the chamber and everyone just sort of stands there quietly looking at each other, as if to say, "Now what?" and then, with several of their number near collapse due to wounds, everyone just kind of sits down to relax.

Any useful gear is gathered up from their fallen foes and eventually Ellie wanders off again, prompting the rest of the group to get up and go find her. Luckily, she was not in any trouble, but had found Nualia's chamber and a stash of Healing Potions, which she began handing out.

Characters Present:

Kallin Hawkril, Half-Orc shaman and budding Priest of Pharasma - played by +Daniel Ernst
Calina, Varisian Human archer and scout - played by +Carol Coburn
Daellin Silvanthalas, Elven Farstrider Ranger - played by +Ben Lipe
Vexeron, Human Wizard - Played by +Greg Grady 
Elyna Fuzziface, Dwarven warrior - played by +Jodi H
Ellie, Halfling finder of things not necessarily lost - played by +Megan McCarron

and +Jason Woollard as the DM