SESSION 29B: A KNIGHT IN MOURNING
September 20th, 2008
The 16th Day of Kadal in the 790th Year of the Seyrunian Dynasty
“Who are you and why have you come to this evil place?”
Tee met the gaze of the angry, armored man. “You’re the one standing over a dead body. You first. What are you doing here?”
“Do not mock me, woman. Those I have cared for have died. Name yourselves and your purpose.”
The tension was palpable. Everyone’s nerves were raw. It wouldn’t have taken much for blood to be shed. The man raised his hand to the hilt of his sword.
Fortunately, this movement allowed Tee and Tor to spot the ring he was wearing on his finger – the signet of the Order of the Dawn. Tor moved into the room, carefully slipping on his own signet ring and positioning his hands so that the man could see it. “We’ve been sent to investigate what’s happening here.”
“What is happening here?” Tee asked.
The armored man dropped his hand from the hilt of his blade. As he relaxed, his entire body sagged with exhaustion and sorrow. “My name is Kalerecent. This was my friend and comrade, Rasnir. Two days ago we came to investigate reports I had heard of strange activity and the sound of digging coming from a mansion in Oldtown.”
They had followed the tunnel and entered the complex. When they arrived, there had been a half dozen strange and monstrous creatures gathered in the room with the “tower of brass and iron”. Kalerecent and Rasnir were badly outnumbered, and so they chose to wait and watch.
One of the creatures – a warped and twisted crone with skin the sickly green of swamp moss and hair like twisted vines – had taken a ring out of a velvet pouch and held it against the door. There had been a bright flash of light and the door had opened.
Kalerecent had not been able to hear what they were saying before, but now one of them spoke loudly: “Hurry, it won’t stay open long!”
And then he knew what he had to do. This entire place reeked of evil and these creatures clearly had foul intentions. He and Rasnir had charged into battle. During the melee, the crone who had opened the door managed to duck through it. But moments later Kalerecent had fought his way to it and wrenched it shut.
“There was another flash of light and the door sealed shut behind me. But even in that moment, one of the creatures – a half-leonid fiend – slew Rasnir. I killed several of the goblins, but the other creatures escaped.”
Dominic offered to heal Rasnir’s wounds, but Kalerecent shook his head. “It has been more than a day. His soul has left this world forever. I tried healing them myself before it was too late, but his wounds were too severe. And when I tried to carry him out of here, I was attacked by the half-leonid.”
Tor knelt beside him. “It may be too late to heal him, but he should still be borne back into the city with honor. May I help you carry him?”
Kalerecent gave a grateful yet mournful smile. “I thank you. But the half-leonid creature is still loose in the complex and the others might return, if they are not here already. The door must not be left unguarded.”
It became clear that Kalerecent felt that Rasnir had died to ensure that the door would not be breached. He wouldn’t allow that sacrifice to have been made in vain.
“And it makes sense,” Tor said. “Whatever they came to the Banewarrens to find, it can’t be good.”
“Aren’t we here to find something, too?” Dominic pointed out.
After discussing their options, they decided to track down the half-leonid creature while Kalerecent continued to keep watch over his friend and the door. Once that was done, Tor and Kalerecent could carry Rasnir’s body back to the surface while the others remained behind to keep a watch on the door.
THE LAMIA ROUTED
Kalerecent accompanied them back into the room with the warding generator. He was able to indicate which of the southern corridors the creature had fled through after their last confrontation. Then he returned to his vigil over Rasnir.
From Kalerecent’s description, Ranthir was able to identify the creature as a type of lamia – a rare and unnatural hybrid of human and lion. “It will be very fast and more than capable of using the claws on its lower limbs.”
The southern corridor led to a wide hall which widened before being abruptly interrupted by a 20-foot square pit. Four thick, rust-covered iron chains were hanging down into the pit, fastened to the wall with heavy bolts.
“It must have gotten to the other side somehow,” Tee said. “I’ll try climbing—“
A giant hand – at least five feet across at the palm — reached up out of the pit and grabbed the side.
“By the gods!” Tee drew her dragon pistol and fired, striking the hand. It reared back and then crashed down again. A moment later the giant levered its way out of the pit with a roar.
Ranthir released a bolt of arcane energy which caught the giant squarely in the chest. The blast seemed to leave a scorch mark, but from the interaction between bolt and body Ranthir’s trained eyes were able to catch the tell-tale marks of an illusion. He shouted out a warning to the others.
Once they had been warned, most of the others could see the illusion for what it was. But not Tee – her mind was still being fooled by it. “Are you sure?” she shouted, diving out of the way of a back-handed blow from the giant.
“I’m sure!” Ranthir shouted.
Agnarr moved up to the edge of the pit and looked down, but the dim light cast by his sword left the lower portions of the pit in deep shadow. A moment later, however, a bottle of fine crystal flew out of the pit and shattered on Agnarr’s chest.
As the bottle shattered, a magical whirlwind burst out of it – snatching Agnarr into the air and hurling him into the nearest wall.
Tee, seeing Agnarr walk through the illusionary giant, finally shook her belief in it. She moved up to the edge of the pit with her sunrod and looked down. At the bottom of the pit she spotted five different lamias. “Oh shit!”
She fired at one of them. The force blast struck… and the lamia disappeared. It was another illusion! With a snarling growl, the remaining lamias started climbing one of the chains out of the pit.
Ranthir tried to throw a flask of oil onto the chain, but his throw went wild and smashed uselessly into the wall. Tee tried to line up another shot, but the whirlwind came sweeping back the other direction and hurled Agnarr into her and her into the wall.
Seeing Tee caught up in the whirlwind, Tor quickly pulled out a length of rope, formed a lasso, and threw it around her. With a sharp tug, Tee came free.
The lamia, meanwhile, had nearly reached the other side of the pit. Tee, while struggling to untangle herself with one hand, snapped a shot off with the other – trying to break the chain the lamia was climbing. The shot hit the heavy iron chain, but didn’t break it.
The lamia reached the other side of the pit and ran for the door. Elestra and Tee fired with their dragon guns, but only succeeded in striking (and banishing) more of the illusionary lamias.
Agnarr turned and raced back out the door they’d come through. Dominic, who hadn’t even managed to get into the room yet, yelled to him as he passed by: “Have we killed it yet?”
Agnarr circled around and managed to intercept the lamia in the outer hall. The lamia spotted him and the two of them cautiously approached each other. Agnarr took a couple of jabs at the snarling creature, while narrowly avoiding its heavy paws.
Ranthir – who had followed Agnarr at a slightly slower pace – came around the corner and sent out a barrage of arcane blasts – leaving multiple scorch marks on the chest of the true lamia and eradicating the last of the illusory doubles. With the illusions gone, Agnarr was able to get his first clear look at the creature, noting the serious wounds already marking its flanks.
At that moment, Tee and Tor caught up. Seeing itself badly outnumbered and already seriously injured, the lamia turn and ran towards a staircase at the far end of the hall. It howled plaintively…
… and was answered by a second howl!
Running the Campaign: Abandoned Dungeons – Campaign Journal: Session 29C
In the Shadow of the Spire: Index
