Dark Paths 26

Dark Paths of Riddleport
Session 26
March 17, 2013

The Walls Come Tumbling Down 

Map Tool Chat Log

Session Summary

Zombie

After breaking camp, the party stashed their gear and began the long trek up the steep, winding path to the abandoned settlement of Witchlight at the top of the hill. Once at the top, they discover several bodies laying near one of the dilapidated buildings. Aragon investigates another nearby building, only to have it collapse, nearly crushing him. Bodi approaches the bodies to check them out and Paal shoots one of the nearby scavenger birds to dress for dinner later. As Bodi approaches the bodies, they lurch to life and attack. They are Human and Dwarf zombies with strange, bloated purple tongues. The zombies are quickly dispatched by blade and spell and it is believed that they are the remains of Gavin Goldhammer's expedition that he said had went up to Witchlight but had not returned. After that, a familiar voice calls down from the tower. It is Samaritha Beldusk, former Gold Goblin server turned Cyphermage. She calls the party inside before the "other creatures" return.

Once inside the old watchtower, the party hears of the fate of the Cyphermage expedition to Devil's Elbow. Over half of the mages are dead, only 5 of 12 remain and two of them are seriously injured from trying to escape the creatures that attacked them. Samaritha describes them as strange bluish-purple creatures that resembled lions but instead of manes, they had writhing tendrils. She explains that they are fast and silent and attack with pack tactics. Their bite causes those killed to rise up as zombies, the same as had just been encountered. 

Strange Creatures Attack!

Snargash was performing some healing magic on the two wounded mages when the alarm was called out that the creatures had returned. This time, though, a much larger group had come to the tower. Over 20 of the beasts approached from all directions, surrounding the tower. Immediately the group sprang into action, taking up positions on different levels to help defend the tower with Aethel floating outside and above the tower. The creatures began their assault on the tower directly, slamming into it, trying to climb it and managed to unbalance the precarious cliff-side tower and cause it to actually fall and begin rolling down the steep hill toward the sea, with almost the entire party inside.

Continued Story Doc

Continued Story Summary

Everyone was tossed and thrown about as the tower began its roll down the steep hillside. Aragon was able to utilize his acrobatics and perfect balance to great effect and ride it out while Snargash was not so lucky and got pummeled fairly well, though luckily he was able to cast an Armor spell on himself, which helped absorb much of the damaging impact. Paal was able to brace himself in a doorway early on in the ride and managed to hold on until the bottom. Guy used his levitation powers to float up and out a nearby window to safely descend on his own. Bodi and Samaritha, on the top observation deck of the tower made a daring leap out from the tower, hoping to land in the sea far below. Samaritha managed to cast a spell to slow their fall, but the strain of holding up both herself and Bodi was too great and she passed out due to the effort. Aethel, who was outside the tower to begin with, chased it down in his airy Body of Air, sending lightning bolts at some of the creatures who were still somehow holding on to the outside of the tower as it rolled. The remaining Cyphermages in the tower did not have as good of luck and most of them were battered and pummeled into unconsciousness or worse. Just before hitting the bottom, Aragon made a leap out of the bottom floor door then bounded down the remaining height of the cliffside. Guy joined Aragon on the beach and Bodi and Samaritha landed on a reef. 

The tower crashed into the beach at the bottom of the cliff and bounced right into the sea, rolling and coming to rest up against one of the many reefs surrounding the island about 30 feet from the shore. Those in the tower began scrambling to get out while those outside prepared for combat as a handful of the creatures survived the fall, 4 were on the beach facing off against Aragon and Guy and another was somehow still on the tower. 

The wild ride was finally over!

Snargash played a melody to grant him the ability to swim while Paal pulled an unconscious mage out through a window. Snargash began swimming through the stairwells of the tower looking for survivors, only to find 3 dead Cyphermages. 

Players Present: 

+Amergin O'Kai as Snargash Windblown - Half-Orc monk
+Arne Jamtgaard as Aragon Whisperwind - Elven Bladedancer
+Daniel White as Aethelarian "Aethel" Flitterseed - Noble Elf wizard
+Gren Drake as Guy Greystone - Gnome telekinetic 
+Ben Zittere as Paal Ulfsun - Northman ranger
+Jason Woollard as the DM