Tuesday, March 29, 2016

4760 5th of Lamashan in the tower of Gallowspire, in the fallen city of Adorak, in the fell province of Virlych in the nation of Ustalav

The pcs climbed down the 150' by using magic. At the bottom of the shaft, and after a short tunnel, they came upon a series of walled off chambers. After some searching the pcs decided to go left and there they encountered a powerful vampire druid that attacked in a blood frenzy. The druid shifted into a huge cave bear and attacked but the pcs soon gave it a mortal wound to the bear form and the vampire was forced to fight on with its own body. The elven vampire inflicted deadly wounds on the pcs but was soon surrounded and slain by the combined might of the pcs. Then the pcs found a library area with 4 suits of demonic armor. Rigby found a prison cell and after some brief consideration the pcs decided to open it. When Rigby opened the door to the cell the four suits of demon armor animated and attacked. The pcs were able to defeat the armor with minimal wounds. Then Eric slid the stone lid off one of the sarcophagi which released the entombed skeleton knight. The skeleton knight spoke with Black Hands in ancient Varisian with Gregor doing his best to follow along.
Black Hands convinced the skeleton knight to awake his two companions and join the party against Tar-Baphon. The newly expanded group moved on to the nearby large hall. Therein a the pcs saw an angel standing guard over the wards ruined by the Carrion Crown. Then followed a long protracted negotiation with the angel.
The angel, called Sanviel, eventually agreed to let the pcs and undead proceed past the wards. Sanviel said that he would follow his orders and remain on guard there in case the pcs should fail to defeat Tar-Baphon. The pcs then descended on a spiral skeleton staircase to the next level. At that level they encounted a large group of ghosts. The ghosts attacked and it appeared that the pcs were in trouble. However the ghosts were unable to possess anyone except Black Hands. Eric grappled the possessed Black Hands and refused to kill him. Glade use a turn to drive the ghost out him while the other pcs mopped up the rest of the ghosts. The pcs and allies traveled only a few yards and they saw a building carved out of natural rock. A ghoul stuck his head through a door that was open just a crack. Linkles and Rigby used their mage hands spell to open the door. Linkles cast a fireball through the open door and the ghouls were devastated in the explosion. The ghouls counter-attacked but the pack was too badly injured to offer any sort of credible threat to the pcs. After the ghouls were driven away the pcs continued on. Fortunately Glade chose a path that avoided the graves of another mob of ghosts.
The pcs descended down another shaft to a maze of rooms that formerly were living and eating spaces. Furnishings and fixtures of wood were rotted and smashed into unrecognizable debris. The pcs started to open various doors facing the labyrinth of halls. In room after room they found hordes of skeletons, zombies, and more rarely, ghouls. After the first round of fighting the pcs decided to take a short rest in the first room they had cleared and searched. Gregor summoned his mount and found out that he was not able to dismiss it. When they opened they opened the door to exit they were blasted by a hellball launched from a waiting deathknight.
The pcs managed to avoid the worst of the explosion and charged after the deathknight. They pcs were able to bring down the deathknight with ranged attacks before it could escape and then the pcs were able to mop the huge horde of skeletons surrounding them. The demon Kazakin was slain by the skeleton horde but he took a great number with him in death. Next the pcs cleared the right side of the labyrinth and they found a corridor that could be used as a defensive position to wipe out the rest of Tar-Baphon's army. Andivion used one of his magic patches to create a barred door to block one path to the defensive area. Glade cast spikestones and the slaughter began. The mindless zombies and skeletons were drawn into the spikestones killzone and were quickly wiped out. The ghouls faired only slightly better. They retreated after being wounded and released zombie and skeleton allies. Eventually all the undead on level 6 wiped out.
Next the pcs descended another skeleton spiral staircase down to level 7. After following a short corridor the pcs came upon a stone golem in the guise of the human form of Tar Baphon.
The pcs quickly overwhelemed the stonegolem and destroyed. Then the pcs investigated a huge pile of humanoid bones. The pile started spontaneously forming skeletons. The pcs destroyed the first skeleton and then two more were created. The pcs quickly figured that the pile would generate more skeletons when the last batch were destroyed.
The pcs pinned one of the two skeletons and then manacled it thus breaking the cycle of skeleton generation. Then the pcs traveled a short distance and found a sleeping dracolich.
A brief but furious battle ensued and the dragon was destroyed but a some cost in magic and injuries. After the battle Gregor cast a find spell to locate the dragons's phylactery. Gregor was surprised when he sensed not one but two phylacteries. The pcs traveled only a few dozen feet and they were confronted by a skull with gem eyes. The pcs correctly guessed they were facing a dread demi-liche.

Friday, March 25, 2016

4760 4th of Lamashan in the tower of Gallowspire, in the fallen city of Adorak, in the fell province of Virlych in the nation of Ustalav

The pcs arrive in the destroyed city of Adorak and began to make their way toward the tower of Gallowspire. After less than an hour of travel the pcs were approached by a hooded figure calling himself Blackhands that turned out to be an elven revenant forever cursed to seek revenge against the Whispering Tyrant Tar-Baphon. With Blackhand's help the pcs were able to easily negotiate Adorak's dangers avoiding sink holes and a deadly dracolich named Marrowgarth. On reaching Gallowspire the pcs found the main entrance barred and magically locked so they were forced climb the outside of the enchanted tower. This was made even more dangerous in that condemned prisoners were bound to the tower by hooks and crow-cages after transformation to undead. Additionally the top of Gallowspire was surrounded by a corona of hundreds of flying incorporeal undead. As the pcs made their way up the side, they were taunted by Whispering Way cultists who sacrificed Count Galdana and threw his body at the pcs. The sacrificed Count Galadana was the last of Tar-Baphon's direct descendants and thus the last ingredient needed to create the Carrion Crown. The Carrion Crown spun and created a great purple light before it sped off releasing all the wards keeping Tar-Baphon prisoner. The pcs pursued the fleeing Whispering Way cultists down an animated skeleton spiral stair case. The staircase aided the cultists but deliberately hindered the pcs. After some struggles with the tower's anti-gravity center core the pcs used magic to reach the fleeing cultists and quickly cut them down. After reaching the bottom of the hollowed out tower, the pcs descended to the first underground level on the same skeleton spiral staircase. At each entrance to each level there was a deadly trap but each was easily defeated by the trapping skills of Rigby the halfling. On the next level they discovered a circular chamber holding 9 angels trapped forever in their dead bodies by Tar-Baphon's magic. Gregor released the suffering creatures with the gift of true death. The pcs then descended to the next dungeon level which contained a demonic spider known as a beblith. The pcs set the spider-demon's webs on fire and attacked at range. Already seriously wounded climbing the wall toward the pcs, the formidable creature was held back by Blackhands who was immune to the demon's deadly venom while the party destroyed it with withering ranged attacks. It was quickly cast down to smash to the floor. The pcs then descended to the next level where they came upon a fire elemental cursed with dark necrotic magics. Again the pcs used ranged attacks from the skeleton spiral staircase to decimate the creature before it could close with them. At the bottom of the fire elemental's level, the trap door in the floor led, not to the bone staircase, but to a 150' foot shaft.