Ironguard Keep: Session 15

 

8/24/20 - PCs in attendance - Klayton, Yelrah, THE, Albrecht

NPCs in attendance - pseudodragon, Ori, Morgan Ironwolf, Ulster, and Kirsten

The battle continues!

Those 6s the DM rolled up last session resulted in more Zombies approaching from the South, leaving the PCs in a bind - Zombies to east and south, Skeletons to the north, and a solid wall to the west!

The newest group of Zombies were observed to have no hands, but (rusty) sword blades instead.  

Like this, but many of them.  From Ravenous Miniatures.

Being THE Group, they attacked in all directions.  Skeletons and Zombies fell in quick succession, followed by a short exploration of the chambers to the north and east.  The chamber to the east contained only murals of dark, depraved, and disturbing imagery, involving chaos and its victims.  To the north was a throbbing, pulsing throne.  

Of course, the throne was sat upon.  (Also of course, due to wine and time lapse, the DM forgets the who sat upon it and the result.  HELP!)

As THE Group left the cave, they heard an awful howling (those DM 6s, yo) as a terrible beast charged towards them.  The beast stopped at the edge of the moonlight and began to pull the cave closed (don't ask its Strength score)!  Klayton reacted quickly, firing off an Eldritch Blast that blew a finger clean off the beast.  Yowling in pain, the thing retreated back into the darkness, leaving its finger to dissolve into a noxious mess in the moonlight.  Further investigation led to the discovery that the ooze was acidic enough to dissolve the arrow thrust into it, but was also not of enough volume to be scooped up in empty containers for future use as hand grenades. (a very specific amount of material, indeed!)

This is what charged them; from Goodman Games The Monster Alphabet

THE Group sought refuge for the night in Klayton’s Cabin (boy, does the DM regret this item), and after an eventless night, awoke to an overcast morning.  After breakfast, THE Group again entered the shrine, this time heading south, where they noticed the wide passage sloping down and then sharply turning north. At the turn, they also found a pair of doors.

One door was of stone and had the following chiseled into it:

“Woe be to ye that break the seal, for the wind of day, you’ll never feel.”

Opting for uncursed doors over cursed doors (cowards, the lot of them), THE Group forced the other door and beyond a short passage, discovered a quartet of angry cultists (no doubt because they lost initiative).  

Despite the tight confines of the entry passage, Klayton maneuvered and Eldritch Blasted one cultist (for 10 and 6 so two exploding damage dice) to death, and THE Svetlo landed a potent Guiding Bolt in the face of another (for 6, 6, 6, and 5, so three exploding damage dice).  With two comrades down, the remaining two cultists made their morale check and cast Sanctuary upon themselves and began moving towards a mirror in the back of the chamber with a surface that rippled like silvery water.

Being a terrible spoilsport, yet wise tactician, Yelrah charged forth and smashed the mirror, cutting off escape for the pair of cultists.  The other PCs quickly dispatched them, and we left the party swathed in blood and mirror shards. (Frankly, I am surprised the PCs didn't try to harvest anything from the cultists).

THE Group began searching the bodies, specifically for amulets similar to the shit-covered one that Klayton had found last session. In addition to those amulets, the PCs also discovered the cultists were wearing chainmail under their robes.

The DM read some flavor text about room furnishings, then added a giant frickin’ chest, which the PCs might open next time we meet.  

That said, we aren't meeting until November due to life things.

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Reading over these notes finds me editing out passive voice and changing it over to active.  I am apparently a huge fan of infinitives, as well.  

Also, I am certain the blade-arm zombies (and their follow-up next session) came from a Goblin Punch post, I just don't recall which one.