Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 030

Game summary for October 17, 2013, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Trial of the Beast adventure; PCs included Caerwen (elf monk), Dario Malavasi (human oracle), Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk), Kelemen Ambrus (human cleric/conjurer/mystic theurge), and Tigris Inebriavi (elf magus), accompanied by NPC companion Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric).

The party moved up the stairwell into the second level of the tower and found it filled with webs and smeared chalk notations on the walls.  The party saw the webs moving, and Tigris hurled a vial of alchemist’s fire at the movement which ignited the webs and burned the whole party.  It also injured a homunculus, but the party gently picked him up and discovered he wanted to communicate with them.  He got them to examine the chalk markings, and they discovered there was some device called the Bondslave Thrall on the roof.  The homunculus also indicated there was something large and dangerous in the next level.  Tigris went outside and flew to the roof where he activated the Storm Caller and the Bondslave Thrall and was able to meld with the Beast of Lepidstadt.  He could see the Beast was charging toward Schloss Caromarc at that very moment!

He flew down and helped the rest of the party up the tower where they discovered lightning striking all about.  Then, the floor heaved as something massive railed against it from below.  Within moments, the floor heaved upward to reveal a hideous amalgamation of man, giant, and arachnid!  At the same time, the Beast surged over the side of the tower and roared in challenge.

A titanic battle ensued.  Gnok was drawn into the construct’s tentacles and paralyzed while Kelemen and Nyssa frantically healed him.  The flashing lightning struck individuals one at a time as the battle waged.  The electricity harmed the party but healed the two golems.  Up in the Bondslave Thrall, Tigris discovered he could not only control the Beast but could also channel a protective shield around him.  Caerwen and Dario entered the fray, and both got severely injured by the construct, even to the point of knocking Dario unconscious.  Nyssa ran low on magical tricks and began edging toward the ladder up to Tigris’ location.  The Beast took numerous hard blows and looked pretty beat up.  Fate conspired against the enemy though as the Beast’s ogre hook caught under its chin, and he ripped its head from its neck and hurled it into the river.  The decapitated construct toppled off the tower and plunged 200 feet into the roaring waterfall below!  Fortunately, Gnok fell out of its grip and through the hole the creature made in the tower.  As Gnok stood, he observed a strange sight:  a woman preserved in an enormous jar, and an iron idol or maiden with eye slits.  Within, two terrifying eyes peered out!