Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 054

Game summary for April 24, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Wake of the Watcher adventure; PCs included Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk) and Varus Archlight (elf magus/arcane archer), accompanied by NPC companions Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and Pavlos Zervas (human fighter/rogue).

The slavering, crazed giant skum attacked viciously, whipping its axe and claws into Varus’ hide.  Pavlos dropped into the shadows as Varus fell back only to spring forth and sneak attack the creature.  Nyssa hastened the team while Varus used his arcane pool to cause his arrows to erupt in freezing, flaming, shock as they ripped through the air and punched into the beast’s hide.  A final arrow pierced right through the eye, striking it dead.  Varus then took the creature’s magical amulet of armor.

Heading deeper into the caverns, the team found a large chamber dotted with faint purple glowing fungus and echoing with the sound of a woman singing nonsense lyrics.  The group went up a ladder to a ledge and found a cooking pot and table.  Upon another ledge they found a number of old cradles and numerous bizarre corpses!  The desiccated bodies all belonged to women, ranging from baby to adult.  All were completely devoid of color and flaked apart like dried parchment.

The group went to the edge of a pit with a ladder leading down within.  A white-haired woman in white robes rocked back and forth with her back to the party singing a nonsensical tune.  Varus spoke with her, causing her to turn about with the bundle swaddled in her frail white arms.  She smiled broadly and asked several odd questions.  She asked for help getting out of the pit, claiming to be unable to climb the ladder with her baby.  Varus cautiously descended and took the babe from her.  To his horror, he found she held a dried, bleached corpse as if it were still alive!  He helped the woman out of the hole and gave her back her “child.”  The woman babbled on about the colors going away and her friends going with them.  She then asked Varus why he was so ugly.  After questioning her a while getting seemingly disjointed answers, he realized she had lived in these couple of chambers since infancy for she had been fostered to the Neighbors!  She apparently believed all males looked like fishman skum, hence her disgust at Varus’ features!

The group left the babbling woman and headed down a corridor filled with the dried white remains of dead skum.  Part of the way within, an ennui and boredom set in the group found difficult to shake.  They emerged in a large chamber wherein lay a strange metal box with an enormous ball or cloud of “colour” hanging above it.  The jarring, horrific light was a sickly mix of colors none had ever seen before.  The group found it distinctly abnormal and aberrant.  Suddenly the colour surged forward and lashed its form across Gnok!  The dwarf shuddered as he paled and some of his color drained into the air.  After such a taste, the colour began feasting on Gnok’s life force and color!  The team swarmed around the colour and found their weapons only partial effective.  Varus unleashed numerous lightning bolts while Nyssa used magic to enhance the team and Pavlos and Gnok used their magical weaponry against the oddity.  The thing continued to fade the party, and Nyssa began giggling and acting strangely.  Eventually, Varus’ lightning destroyed the awkward light.

The group discovered a barnacle-encrusted trunk, bleached completely white, filled with gold coins and magical cold iron rapiers.  They also played around with the metal box and found it unleashed some kind of strange leash made of invisible force.  Perplexed, the team headed back toward the white-haired woman.

Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 053

Game summary for April 10, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Wake of the Watcher adventure; PCs included Brutus Bonesmasher (human fighter), Dario Malavasi (human oracle), Emilian Sandulescu (human paladin/ranger), and Malthus Brightray (half-elf cleric), accompanied by NPC companions Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and Pavlos Zervas (human fighter/rogue).

The team returned to the center of the house and inspected the menhirs once again.  They discovered an indention in one that matched the amulet taken from Vizier Voltiaro, and they inserted it like a key.  It activated a phase door, and the team found themselves in dark natural caverns!  A large cylindrical glass tank stood to the side, and floating within was the preserved corpse of Cassius Undiomede!  The team found his journal on a lectern beside it and confiscated it while a magical bell began to ring.

The group quickly moved down a passage and found a pool of fetid water and gunk.  A shiny metal glint attracted the party near the pool, and a fetid spore mound surged forth!  Emilian rushed forward and fell into the stinky murk.  The plant monster grappled Emilian and began bashing him around.  The team moved in to attack, with Malthus using fire magic while Pavlos and Brutus hurled daggers.  Dario used a number of searing light spells.  The group discovered weapons causes the plant to spew forth yellow mold spores.  After a short battle, the team defeated the monster.

The team then moved further into the caverns and found half a dozen trident-wielding skum and a larger fishy monstrosity!  The fishmen attacked by hurling their tridents.  Emilian was knocked down a small chasm while the fish beast went berserk in the back.  It did not come to the aid of the skum while the party slaughtered them.  With the skum dead, the party found themselves facing the bizarre creature.

Carrion Crown Adventure Path – Game Session – 052

Game summary for April 3, 2014, Carrion Crown Adventure Path campaign, Wake of the Watcher adventure; PCs included Brutus Bonesmasher (human fighter), Dario Malavasi (human oracle), Emilian Sandulescu (human paladin/ranger), Malthus Brightray (half-elf cleric), Gnok Thatek (dwarf monk), and Varus Archlight (elf magus/arcane archer), accompanied by NPC companions Nyssa Pagonis (human cleric) and Pavlos Zervas (human fighter/rogue).

The party ran into Horace Croon on the streets of Illmarsh, and he suggested they take Baby Tulby to Thrushmoor.  The team traveled there and left her with an orphanage before returning to Undiomede House.  They traveled upstairs and found the master bedroom where they encountered a pair of hounds of Tindalos!  The horrific creatures attempted to rip the party but were soon put down by the team’s combined might.  Varus used enlarge person to enhance Gnok while Nyssa and Malthus cast bless and prayer on the group.  Emilian used smite evil on the hounds while Brutus charged in alongside Pavlos.

After dropping the hounds, the group went up to the attic and found a copy of The Book of Abstruse Geometries.  Unable to decipher the tome, the group packed it away and went to the roof where they found a smashed body.  Moments later they were attacked by a massive shantak and fled into the safety of the house.