Princes of the Apocalypse: Session 4 Part I

[This post contains spoilers for Princes of the Apocalypse]

The wind was high this night, more so than usual, and Savra drew the shutters on her small cell, bound them tightly with the cord and bade goodnight to Hina, the half-elf who told her jokes and shared her fondness for Pasha in the stables.

Tonight though she couldn’t help herself. Detachment had come easily enough to her. The dedication to take on something higher than herself, but tonight she thought of family and hissed a curse through her teeth at the Dwarf woman with the seafoam hair that had come at her father’s behest.

‘I am the breath of the heavens.’ She reminded herself with less certainty that on the nights before. ‘I ride the sky itself and raise all with me, by the will of Yan-C-Bin…’

Our party are:

David Maltman as Reed Tosscobble, Halfling Rogues Swashbuckler

David Longbottom as Ulfang Strackhelm, Dwarf Cleric of Helm

Amanda Hewitt as Eva Dawnfell, Human Monk Necromancer

Amy Tan as Amber Frostbeard, Dwarf Fighter

Most of our sessions are marked by large expanses of deliberation, consideration and planning. This week that all went out of the window as the party meet Thurl Merosska’s master, become embroiled in the Howling Hatred and return at their behest to Rivergard and the seat of Jolliver Grimjaw.

Our first piece of business was to welcome Amy to the table playing Amber Frostbeard, a doughty Shield Dwarf with hair touched by magic, usually the colour of seafoam it changes with her mood, becoming grey and stormy when she angers.

[DM’s Notes: Amy is a new player to Dungeons & Dragons and joined our party at an interesting time, with them in-situ at Feathergale Spire. Luckily I gave Amber, her character, the hook relating to Savra Belabranta, which gave her an excuse to be a guest at Feathergale, and have Savra (who quite likes her) volunteer her to be entrusted with the same level of access that the party have.]

She joined the party at dinner with Thurl Merosska who congratulated them again on clearing the Sacred Stone Monastery and offered them a place amongst the Feathergale Society. The party, reasoning that aligning themselves with one of the elemental cults might help them learn more about them, agreed.

Savra at this point mentioned including Amber and Merosska, indulging her, gave her leave to accompany them.

At dawn they were born to the east of Feathgale by Hippogriff riders to Knifepoint Gully. There amongst the rocks they were guided into a passageway by Merosska, a passage that delved deep beneath the ground and emerged in a cavern studded with crystals like stars that sit, silent and twinkling, over the remains of a great Dwarven city.

Tyar-Besil.

Merosska led them through the streets of the city, across a moat and to a pyramid atop which sat a winged dragon-like creature with a rider on it’s back. Within they witnessed a group of Wind Acolytes in grey-feathered robes surrounding a pit in the ground from which an elemental wind blew. The acolytes hovered in the air, held there by their magic.

Up the stairs the party entered a room lined with curtains beyond which they saw prone forms of cultists in some kind of stupor, a pall of incense wafting over them. The floor of the room was dominated by a scale model of the ancient Dwarven city they stood in, and at its head was a great throne the colour of ivory upon which sat a winged elf with alabaster skin and piercing blue eyes. Before her in the air a shining silver spear sat, lain horizontal before her but floating in the air.

This was Aerisi Kalinoth and her enchanted weapon; Windvane.

Thurl kow-towed and the party (mostly) did the same as she dismissed the man and focused on them. She was impressed by their clearing of the Sacred Stone Monastery (not knowing about Renwick) and speaks of the ascendency of the Elemental Air and the destruction of their enemies.

To this end she dispatches the party to Rivergard, to bring her the leader of the Elemental Water there; Jolliver Grimjaw.

The party hesitantly agree.

[DM’s Notes: This section was a bit ‘off-piste’ from the original adventure guidelines but I decided to introduce the party to Aerisi for a few good reasons.

The first was that I felt the party needed a little direction. Having visited three of the Haunted Keeps they had fought at only one, albeit twice. Rivergard promised a manageable challenge for the party and a chance to get even with Jolliver Grimjaw, who might have sent cultists to attack them after their last meeting.

Second was to show the party that there are greater powers beyond the leaders they have met so far. This meeting showed how far down the pecking order Merosska is and hinted at the far greater threat posed by Aerisi’s master; Yan-C-Bin.

Finally it was also an opportunity to play a fun NPC. Aerisi is a trope, a spoiled princess, vicious and mercurial and arrogant. Tropes are entirely fine tools to give players a character who they will feel strongly about despite limited screen time and the players (especially Eva) came out of this encounter wanting to stab her in the face.

But first: To Rivergard!]

Thurl Merroska led them out of the Dwarven City in a sullen mood, clearly embarrassed by Aerisi. His smile only returned when the party emerged into the sunlight and they returned to Feathergale.

The party left the following morn to trace the southern border of the Sumber Hills. They were ambushed by Jackalweres during the day and the following night, whilst Eva stood watch at camp on the banks of the River Dessarin, ghouls emerged from the water and attacked the party as they rested.

Eva spotted them as they approached but before her allies could come to her aid they were upojn her, their claws paralyzing her as they smashed her to the floor. Amber was first from her tent, with shield and sword the Dwarf stood over her companion alone, Reed Tosscobble striking only to withdraw to a safe distance. Alone against three of them Amber was also toppled by the undead and lay on the ground, until she saw the folds of Ulfang’s tent ripple outwards.

Ulfang emerged in only his vestments beating his mace and shield, the Gauntlet and Eye of Helm on the pendant around his neck. He gripped the symbol tightly and across the campsite a thunderous chorus took up his chant. There was a flash of radiant light, a pulse moving out from the cleric and driving the Ghouls back. They flailed and recoiled, scrambling over each other to escape. They lunged down the embankment and the teeth of the river rose to meet them as they dived in and were dashed against the rocks.

[DM’s Notes: Turn Undead is cool and if you’ve got a cleric in the party it’s always worth throwing some zombies or the like at them so they can have that ‘hero moment’ where they stand before a horde and just say “No.”

The Ghouls were great though; paralysis is a nasty status and combined with an attack at night it turned an otherwise safe encounter into quite a dangerous one.]

The following day they headed north, still wounded from the night before, and stopped with Rivergard in sight. The defenders manned the walls and the gate was barred and shut. They considered the many methods of gaining access; climb the wall, tale their way in through the gate, or swim in through the river-wall.

Their final decision was inspired, but first they decided to rest again and ensure they were prepared and fresh-

[DM’s Notes: And whilst that was a wise decision it was also one I decided to punish.

The party have been moving quite slowly, often using many powers then retreating to recover. Most of the time it’s not an issue, and certainly Rivergard was worth the rest. However the party had been spotted by the defenders of the keep and I wanted them to feel less safe, so I rolled a random raiding party of water cultists, took that number of defenders from Rivergard and sent them to attack the party under cover of darkness.]

That night the Water Cultists crept up on the party’s encampment only to realise too late that they had been spotted. A flurry of spells and crossbow bolts felled their Priest as Amber and Ulfang emerged from the gloom, blade and mace swinging at the Reavers who fought back with their cruel shark-toothed swords.

The battle seemed to be going well until Reed Tosscobble heard whispered words of magic by his ear and the stabbing pain of Necrotic energy grasping at his heart. The invisibility of his attacked faded, revealing a pale man covered in barnacles that encrusted his flesh. At his side two Reavers lunged forth and set about Eva, felling her quickly.

Separated from his allies all Ulfang could do was call words of Healing over the din of battle as he attacked and attacked again. Reed duelled the pale man solo whilst Amber felled one of the Reaver facing her. Meanwhile Eva, on her back but alive thanks to the ministrations of Ulfang, unleashed a surprise barrage of Magic Missiles against her attackers.

The battle stood on a knife-edge, the party taking significant damage, but held up by the whirlwind of healing magic coming from their Cleric. Amber defeated her opponents and Ulfang felled one of his as the Fathomer fighting Reed turned into a water snake and the halfling ducked away, turning to help the badly wounded Eva.

For its part the snake ensnared the Halfling, holding him in place to feel the toothy kiss of the Reaver’s sword, knocking him to the ground before Ulfang’s orisons breathed life back into him, allowing him to slip the bonds of the creature. As the Reaver fighting them fell the one attacking Ulfang tried to make good his escape, only to be brought down by Reed’s hand crossbow and Amber’s sword. The watery serpent fared less well, caught by Eva’s vengeful Witchbolt and shocked until it boiled away.

The camp was a shambles, the party were badly injured but alive, the cultist however were dead and with them out of the way the road to Rivergard lay open…

[TO BE CONTINUED…]