Defenders Summary #62: The Big, the Stupid, and the Nasty
Party Roster:
Felix, 6th level fighter, 59 hp, played by Alex
Kodo, 5th level woodsman, 59 hp, played by Rob
Balinor, 6th level fighter, 56 hp, played by Joel
Cassian, 7th level cleric, 45 hp, played by Katherine
Kain, 6th level cleric, 43 hp, played by Jeff (Joel for the summer)
Quentin, 8th level druid, 37 hp, played by Jeremy
Morgan, 6th level fighter, 35 hp, played by Alan
Donald, 6th level mage, 33 hp, NPC
Alduin, 6th level thief, 26 hp, played by Vic
Nakumanu, 3rd level fighter, 25 hp, henchman
Continuing on last game’s discoveries, the party decided to do some recon before taking out the “clergy of the Lord of Lies.” Quentin flew back to Restenford and consulted with the Baron and the churches there. The Lord of Lies is a devil of godlike power, though he has no real formal clergy. Nothing was really known about the situation, though no one believed it could be bad to wipe it out.
So equipped to kill, we approached Hafney Hill once again. Entering Invisible from the trapdoor in the tower where Quentin had blasted halflings long ago, we found that no new signs of life were evident. Nevertheless, we pressed on to the trapdoor, and Kain Dispelled the trap on it, caught by Cassian’s Find Traps.
The party filed down into the small cistern to the door 15 feet below, and Felix opened the door as an Obscurement was dropped in the area by Kain. There were some bells and a crash of something, and the party moved in as quickly as possible. It was clear that there were objects of unholy origin spread throughout the room. Felix and Morgan burst out of the cloud and found a roast rabbit dinner lying spilled on the floor. Across the corridor was a draped curtain.
Pausing for Cassian to cast a Silence stone, Felix and Morgan led a charge toward the curtain and the ominous chanting behind it. As the fighters approached the curtain, disaster struck.
A huge blast of cold hit the party nailing everyone (34 damage, save for half). After the carnage was over, Nakumanu was on the ground dying fast, and only Balinor, Felix, Kodo, and Cassian were even really capable of fighting.
Morgan downed an extra-healing potion. Felix, Kodo, and Balinor charged into the room, and Felix hurled the Silence stone in. As Felix approached, he spotted the source of our distress, the “gaunt” we had seen before! The creature drew its bastard sword and grinned. Felix threw Detect Evil/Good from his sword, and discovered that there really was a lawful evil presence in front of him, and closed. He was missed, and Felix smashed his +5 sword into the creature. The creature was AC 14!
Clang.
No effect! Hoping it was a temporary defense, Felix bashed the creature again, also ineffectually. Kodo charged and swung his magic handaxe, to no avail.
The creature pasted Felix for lots of damage and held him at bay. Felix threw an ESP from the sword at the creature, revealing “This thing is really working better than I could have hoped!” The creature, despite being faced by Kodo with a retreating Felix, was more intent on killing Balinor, who was just entering the room. Not enough information, unfortunately, which would cost the party. There was something going on, but what? And would we all be killed before we found out?
Realizing the situation was already grave, Balinor held the curtain and Donald launched Magic Missiles through, but they dissipated strangely around the creature. With a roar, Balinor dashed forward, was missed and struck back with both hammers.
The creature reeled back and nearly suffered WOUNDS from the strikes, which is impossible! Balinor discovered that an evil Prayer was also in effect, but his hammers had really hurt the thing.
Seconds before his next swing, the creature smashed him back. Kodo’s swing was still ineffective. He reached for one of Balinor’s hammers off his belt.
Meanwhile, Kain had dropped a Death’s Door on Nakumanu and was returning to help the desperate fighters. Cassian launched a Cure Light Wounds at Felix, who was slowly recovering. Quentin had dropped back to heal himself and anyone else who needed it.
Cassian pulled out her scroll of Cure battery and began releasing them on Balinor. Kodo, hoping to mess the creature up (we couldn’t miss it with it’s ridiculous AC) used his Smokeshield to drop a cloud of blackness on the combatants, relying on Balinor’s blind fighting. The creature swung its sword at Balinor, hitting and instilling a fear effect in a huge radius, but only nailing Kodo. Kodo dropped to his knees and began groveling!
The creature would have continued to trash Balinor, but Morgan threw holy water at him and then Thunderstruck him. The sword had no effect, but the lightning did, stunning the creature for half a minute! Balinor was immediately on the creature, smashing it three times and dropping one of his hammers in his fury.
It became clear that the creature was beat up, but regenerating at the speed of a troll, at least! Donald threw a Slow to no avail. He tried a Web, but the Web dissipated about the creature.
Morgan turned his longsword to the flat side and began smashing at the creature for some damage. Kodo used Balinor’s hammer to do the same, but the main damage was from Balinor, who was in serious trouble. The creature recovered from its stun and smashed Balinor, who was standing only through the efforts of Cassian. She began a Cure Serious to help him, but the creature would not let her finish. Suddenly shrunk to only 7 feet tall, the creature failed to surprise Balinor from behind. Balinor realized that he was being ESPed, but before he could tell anyone the creature attack, bashing Balinor into the ground, bleeding but barely alive.
Felix returned to the combat with his sword turned over. Even without using his weapon normally, Felix was still very dangerous to the creature. Cassian dropped a Cure Serious on Balinor, but was unable to get him to consciousness.
The creature decided to end the contest, pulling out a token and activating it mentally. Boulders dropped on Felix and Morgan from above, who suffered minor damage. However, the extremely unfortunate Balinor was crushed under the attack, defenseless and instantly dead.
Kain decided that it was time to go with the Bracelet of Beneficent Polymorph, and he charged into the smoke cloud. Felix tried to strike at the creature, but it nailed Morgan and got away through Levitation. Frustrated, we were in serious trouble.
Quentin leveled a pair of Dispel Magics at the creature and clearly dropped some of its defenses, though which were unclear. Finally, Kain spotted the creature in the cloud and aimed.
And in a sudden anticlimax, we were faced with a levitating raccoon.
End of combat. Healing, collective sigh.
We snagged the raccoon and Quentin decapitated it with a Flame Blade. The raccoon, just for an instant, turned into purplish ogre-creature with weird horns, then suddenly vanished into mist. Felix desperately threw a Detect Evil and spotted the fleeing mist. Alduin shot at it, but had no effect. The creature had escaped.
It became clear that we had fought an ogre mage with all sorts of weird protections and items. Searching the place revealed an evil book that was dissolved by four vials of holy water. Also we found fireworks in a trapped chest, a magic bastard sword, bracers, belt, and morning star.
We traveled to Garroten where Balinor was successfully Raised (barely). Astoundingly he suffered no permanent damage other than the long-term loss of all the fingernails on his right hand! Weird. (07 on the permanent damage roll!)
In Barnacus, items were IDED. We had a morning star+1, bracers of striking (+1 to hit,
-1 to AC for a two-handed weapon user), belt of many pockets (64 pouches of 10 cw each), and the bastard sword, Forgotten Memories. This is one of the most bizarre weapons anyone in the party has heard of:
Bastard Sword+3
Fear Effect 10’ Radius when swung (1/day)
+1 wound chance per hit to opponent
Wounds from the weapon heal very slowly
+6 level for speed
Disadvantages:
+1 to wound chances against wielder
+10 to AC
-8 to ALL saves
User reeks badly, for 24 hours after use (10’ radius)
Hair falls out one round after using it
Weird stuff.
We gave up the Bracers of Striking to the Baron, and paid for the Raise Dead with recovered money. We decided to hang on to the fireworks and morning star and Forgotten Memories for trade in Carse later.
When we returned to Hafney Hill two weeks later, the remainder of the stuff was gone.
Perhaps to Trun, village of demon-worshippers…
Joel/Balinor