Charles Plemons’ Blog

Game summary for June 24, 2008; present characters included Lyrin Sinbal (simian incantatrix/ring sage/warmage), Mael Gabrian (human cleric), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Ranulph Wathbater (human berserker/fighter/hellreaver/paladin of freedom/rogue), and Taravin Truesilver (human divine crusader/gray guard/paladin of honor/pious templar).

The Mercenaries decided to proceed through the doors directly opposite the ones they entered. Behind them, they found a short hallway and another set of doors. Behind these was a very large room with a vaulted dome ceiling and two platforms with pits in the middle. Way across the room, up on the other platform, stood another pair of doors. A strange rasping sound seemed to come from the pits.

The team cautiously moved forward, and Taravin looked down into the pit to see thousands of teeming Kyuss worms. The group fanned out and went down the stairs of the platform into the main portion of the room. A rumble shook the area, and the worms from both pits exploded upward like a geyser! Quickly, the worms combined to form two massive overworms!

The team fought against the creatures viciously, eventually killing one of them. Once they did, thousands of more worms sprayed out and formed another overworm. Lyrin covered the openings of the pits with blade barrier while the rest of the group battered away with blade, hammer, and spell. Soon, Ranulph was snatched up into the maw of one of the worms. Mael hit him with a reach freedom of movement, which dropped him out of the worm’s mouth, through the blade barrier, and into the pit. He quickly scrambled up the side and forces himself back through the spinning blades in a shower of blood.

The team fell back across the room and regrouped on the second platform. They killed the overworms and went through the next set of doors. On the other side, they discovered some kind of magical silver wall. Lyrin determined it was very reflective, and Mael discovered it does not go all the way to the floor.

Now the Mercenaries stand before the mirror wall and debate what to do next. Some want to assume a mist form and go under the wall. Others with to try and camp. Does some horrible monster wait on the other side? Will camping allow all the forces of Kyuss to come to bear on the party?

Game summary for June 17, 2008; present characters included Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Ranulph Wathbater (human berserker/fighter/hellreaver/paladin of freedom/rogue), Saedd West (human fighter/pious templar/wormhunter), and Taravin Truesilver (human divine crusader/gray guard/paladin of honor/pious templar).

After nursing their wounds, the Mercenaries discussed ways to dispose of the nasty demon in the sewers. They decided to give Taravin a talisman of reluctant wishes and use a wish to banish the demon. With this plan in place, they made haste back to the sewers. Within the dank, stinking hole, the party found winding corridors but no demon. After traveling aimlessly for a while, they finally found the telltale cloud surrounding the monster. It attacked viciously, killing Ranulph (again) almost instantly. Saedd charged forward to engage but was crippled by the noxious cloud. Morak restored his senses, but Saedd soon succumbed yet again. The demon stripped several protections away from Taravin, but the stalwart paladin still strode into the mist and used his wish. The effect worked, driving the broodfiend away from the Prime plane.

The team then circled around Morak while he performed a raise dead on slain Ranulph. Then, the team descended deep into the sewers where they were ambushed by half a dozen crimson deaths. The creatures quickly began feeding on Taravin and Ranulph but were unable to affect Morak and Saedd. Using freedom of movement, Morak protected Taravin, and the team killed or drove off the creatures.

Saedd ascended a ladder and found himself in a strange room. The team joined him shortly, and they went through the doors into a hallway. Proceeding cautiously, they emerged in a shrine to Kyuss containing a statue of the Wormgod and two additional exits. Using detect magic, they found some faint necromancy beneath the statue. Saedd tipped it over. The breaking statue crashed to the ground, and Taravin and Saedd jumped up and down on the marble dais it was on. Finally, Saedd whipped out an adamantine axe and hacked the top out of the marble, which triggered a spring that opened an unlocked hatch on the side of the dais. Within lay several gems, some incense, some hair, and a hand of glory.

Now, the Mercenaries face a choice of two doorways. Where do they lead? Are they in the vicinity of the source of the negative energy?

Game summary for June 10, 2008; present characters included Mael Gabrian (human cleric), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Ranulph Wathbater (human berserker/fighter/hellreaver/paladin of freedom/rogue), and Taravin Truesilver (human divine crusader/gray guard/paladin of honor/pious templar).

After safely escorting fourteen citizens of Mintarn into the safety of Tempus’ temple, the Mercenaries set back out onto the streets to find more people to save. Shortly, they encounter half a dozen Kyuss high-knights and numerous spawn of Kyuss killing people. The team launched into an attack and discovered the high-knights were much more dangerous than they appeared. Their unholy executioner’s maces slashed an unholy swath through the team. Mael and Morak unleashed volumes of healing energy while Ranulph and Taravin went toe-to-toe with the undead menaces. Eventually, several were cut down, and Mael destroyed two by channeling the divine might of Torm. In the end, fourteen more people were rescued and taken to the Tempus temple.

The team decided to seek out the source of the negative energy fueling the ziggurat, so they found themselves down in the Mintarn sewers. Not far within, they encountered a patch of greenish-brown fog. Within lurked a massive demonic creature with a gaping hole and writhing worms where a head should be. Its arms were snapping, fanged worms, and massive wings spread out from its back. It’s bulk filled most of the tunnels.

The creature spewed poisonous acid across the Mercenaries and attacked Ranulph and Taravin as they approached it through the fog. Taravin watched Ranulph’s blood spray across the stone wall beside him as the monstrosity tore Ranulph open and killed him. Taravin snatched up Ranulph and fled while the priests tried to hamper the monster’s approach. It moved without effort through their defenses, but they were able to stay ahead of it long enough for Taravin to whisk them safely away with the greater skeleton key.

Is the creature in the sewers there by chance, or is it guarding something? Are there more than one? What other horrors lurk in the dank, fetid darkness of Mintarn’s cess pits?

Game summary for June 3, 2008; present characters included Mael Gabrian (human cleric), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Ranulph Wathbater (human berserker/fighter/hellreaver/paladin of freedom/rogue), Saedd West (human fighter/pious templar/wormhunter), and Taravin Truesilver (human divine crusader/gray guard/paladin of honor/pious templar).

The Mercenaries returned to Longsaddle to acquire magical gear and unload the magical equipment stolen from Dragotha’s lair. During this time, Morak Beardfist used discern location and commune to find out more about their adversaries. Shortly thereafter, they met with Malchor Harpell who told them the Age of Worms had begun. The prison of Kyuss has been placed upon the pinnacle of a new ziggurat in Mintarn, and the cult is trying to free the Wormgod. They are so blatant, it is obvious they have no fear of failure. Malchor believes the cult is weakening Kyuss’ prison through the power of people converting to worship the Wormgod and an unknown energy source channeling negative energy into the monolith. He feels the prison is sufficiently weakened that Kyuss’ emergence is now inevitable; however, if the Mercenaries can strike out at his worshipers and also destroy the energy source, they may be able to weaken him significantly. If weakened enough, they might can kill him as he emerges! Deicide is obviously a monumental task, but he has offered several ways of helping them. Malchor discovered the location of a sphere of annihilation for them to use in the fight with Kyuss. Also, he and his allies, Celeste, Cymria, and Agath will enact a ritual to effectively put a “cage” around the island of Mintarn and keep the Wormgod and his minions within, giving the team a shot at assassinating the evil god of worms. He also provided them with a trio of wish scrolls.

The Mercenaries wasted no time transporting to Mintarn. There, they discovered the city in ruins, with buildings in flames and the streets buckling due to massive, 100-ft.-long overworms burrowing about. Spawn of Kyuss stalk the streets, and the citizens, trapped on the island and unable to hide in the ruined buildings run about finding death at the hands of Kyuss’ minions. Towering nearly a thousand feet over the city soars the newly rebuild Spire of Long Shadows, topped with Kyuss’ prison monolith. Within, the flowing worm-form of Kyuss can be seen trying to bust free. His howls of rage, madness, and excitement all but shake the city. Dark clouds hang overhead while lightning flashes throughout. Clouds of smoke choke the streets, and the orange glow of a burning city reflects from the cloud cover.

Not long after arriving, the team attempted to rescue a group of citizens from marauding spawn. Soon thereafter, a pair of colossal overworms burst up from the ground and attacked. The creatures proved incredibly hardy and dealt terrible wounds to the team, but they were eventually brought down. The Mercenaries escorted the people to the temple of Kelemvor and found it still standing. They also discovered the temple of Tempus still stands, guarded by the warpriests within.

Can the Mercenaries save people to keep them from becoming worshipers of Kyuss in their despair or followers due to conversion into spawn? Can enough be saved to fight off the rising power of Kyuss? What about the unknown source of negative energy? Where is it? What is it? Are the Mercenaries up to the task to saving the world from the rampaging beast of destruction known as the Wormgod?