WEEKLY GAMES RECAP - NOV 1, 2024!

Friday, November 1st, 2024

Hail Adventurers and welcome back to The Maze!

So, as you may recall our band of adventurers had made the rookie mistake of splitting the party (in fairness this isn't the first time they have done so) not once, but three times! So, they had three weeks to mull over their situation as our game was scheduled for last Friday, but we have to postpone due to the bane of all D&D groups, the dreaded scheduling conflicts. I spent some time via Discord with Wit, our Trickster Rogue, allowing him some individual RP time to explore the watery environment he found himself in after his rash choice. He swam for some time before locating a small shelf of rock where fluorescent fungus vegetation grew, shedding dim light in the darkness, drawing him nearer. There he took refuge, trying to determine how he might escape this predicament he found himself in.

The rest of the party, having found their way into a long hall which held a rusting portcullis that led into a stairway down where they could just make out a dull green glow. Deciding to take a short rest while they debated what their next move should be. Stormsong, the war Cleric of Tiamat, decided to use Commune in an attempt to contact her goddess for guidance on where their lost companion Wit might be and what lied ahead for them. Moving away from the rest of the group as they spoke she sat down on the ground and began to pray in Draconic. Her spell allowed her to feel the presence, not of Tiamat, but of a Dragon spirit that serves the Mother of Dragons. She asked this shadowy proxy where Wit was and it advised her that he had become trapped in the elemental Plane of Water. Her second question was how they could free the Rogue and he responded that the Wizard Joren has the means if he chooses to use it. Her last question was what lay beyond and if her diminished group could defeat it on their own. The spirit told her that they lacked the power to prevail in a contest of might with what lay in the final chamber of the Tomb. Coming out of the effects of her spell, she rushed to tell her friends what she had discovered. She told Joren that he had the means to free Wit, but Joren, loathe to use the one Wish he held in a magical ring to save the reckless Rogue from his own bad judgement. He pondered the situation, for a bit too long, and it became apparent to me as a DM, that the wizard would not use the precious, rare spell to save his companion.

Meanwhile, Avi, our Swashbuckling Rogue, who has made a pact with Graz'zt after the theft of a gem meant for The Dark Prince brought his attention to her. Her avarice proved her weakness and she entered into a dark bargain with Graz'zt taking on demonic features and gaining new abilities. She called upon Graz'zt asking for his assistance and in her need he answered (lucky dice roll!). She asked what had become of the hapless Wit and the Dark Prince told her that he was trapped in the Plane of Water. Knowing she did not have the power to free him, she asked her patron for his help. Seizing the opportunity he offered to help if she would sign a contract, promising her immortal soul to him in service, in this life and the next. At first she hesitated, but promises of power and treasure tipped the balance and she signed. True to his word, Graz'zt had the Rogue freed from his watery prison and returned him (and several hundred gallons of water!) to the room in which the majority of the party had stopped to assess their situation and what their next steps should be. Avi consciousness was returned to her body and using Message, she contacted Elswyth who was in the room behind her telling her to join her as she had a plan to rejoin the party.

Avi had been carrying a box of Magnificent Pigments for some time, having never used them and she asked if she painted a small tunnel on the door, would it allow her and Elswyth to pass through and rejoin the party. The Rule of Cool always applies (to a point) so I told her "You can certainly try" and try she did, Using a small amount of paint on the lower portion of the stone door she made a small hole and was relieved to see that it worked, if only for a short while. After a minute the magic on the door caused the hole to begin to reseal itself slowly. Elswyth formulated a plan that she could polymorph Avi into a spider, than wild shape herself into an arachnid as well and the two could scurry through a small opening quickly once the Pigments were applied. It took a half a pot of the magical paints, but a small tunnel was made through the door and the two magically transformed women made their way through the hole into the chamber beyond where the rest of the group was questioning Wit about where he had been and how he managed to escape.

Taking a long rest, the party recovered their spent spell slots and filled one another in on what had happened during their short separation, save Avi, who kept her dark bargain with Graz'zt secret not knowing how the party would react. After their rest was completed the opened the portcullis and made their way down the stairs. They were met with the smell of stagnant water and a sense of foreboding. Moving ahead they found the stairs brought them into a domed circular chamber, the steps descending into a pool that glowed with an eerie green light, a mist moving across the surface of the water and ominous whispers echoing in their minds. Sensing the water was a trap of some sort they utilized a broom of flying, Avi's wings, and Stormsong's ability to sprout Green Dragon wings once a day to fly themselves across the room to the door without touching the water. After seeing them stumble, make decisions that could have been disastrous, seeing them come up with a way to avoid what I had in store in the room made me a bit proud of them. The water holds trapped souls, ghosts that would attack anyone entering the water. Avoiding the water they managed to avoid the planned encounter and move on to the final chamber.

As the party moved deeper into the hall they were surprised to find that it was more than sixty feet wide and forty feet tall. The hand worked stone was replaced with what appeared as a natural cavern. They caught the scent of decay, musty, stale air, and felt an oppressive presence lay ahead of them somewhere. They entered into a large, long hall, ancient stonework scarred, darkened from what appeared to be fire or spells, piles of stone and debris littering the floor. Polaris the Paladin of Vengeance, follower of Tyr, used his Divine Sense, reaching out ahead of them in an effort to discern what awaited them. He felt a dreadful undead creature somewhere in the vast chamber, but could not tell exactly where it was as the very ground around them seemed to be permeated with the taint of the dead. The group moved on, spreading out to survey the damaged walls, avoiding the rough terrain caused by large stone, gravel and sand that lay scattered across most of the floor. They were stopped by a dreadful voice, coming to them from the empty room.

"Guests......after so long. Enter if you dare."

Stopping in their tracks they unsheathed weapons and readied spells. Their aggressive posturing was met with a dry, humorless chuckle that rumbled through the room, washing over them like malevolent waves.

"So, you have come seeking a fight. You must be here for the items I was trapped here to safeguard."

The party heard to sound of great wings beating the air, dust swirling up and obscuring the vision of the party, and the sound of a massive weight landing, cracking stone and dislodging loose debris in front of them. The creature dropped its invisibility and showing them their final challenge, a Blue Dracolich! The frightful presence of the undead dragon passed over them. but with some lucky rolls (and use of the Luck feat for one) the party managed to stand their ground. The cleric of Tiamat, feeling emboldened, stepped forward, her scimitar in her hand, her intent to fight this monster, knowing that goddess abhors dracoliches as unnatural. Again the chuckle of the beast rolled over them.

"If it is to be a fight, than come, let us be done with it," the dry voice boomed like thunder throughout the chamber.

"We are here for the treasures you guard, not for you," the Death Knight Sammael replied.

"Ah, another lifeless being," the dragon said. "You may have them, I have no need of them. Those who trapped me here stole my hoard long ago and left me her to look after these.....things."

"Trapped?" Stormsong replied. "You would simply allow us to take them?"

The group, out of character, debated what they should do. Half of the group wanted to fight and try their hand at a dracolich, having never encountered one. Stormsong, was torn, as was Polaris. They had a sense that this creature was deadly and they feared what combat may mean for their group. As players are wont to do, went back and forth for about ten minutes on the pros and cons of fighting or trying to negotiate with the monster. I can say that with this particular group, negotiation is not their go to and I can count on one hand, with fingers to spare, how many times in eleven levels they have opted to proceed with words rather than steel or spell.

"If you will free me, you may take the things left behind by the followers of Tyr." the dracolich spoke.

This caused more debate amongst the party. They discussed freeing the creature, what that may mean, whether they should offer to help only if the dragon destroyed Sammael so that Polaris could be free of his oath to his former brother in arms, or just testing their mettle against the beast. Joren, was finally the voice of reason, cautioning them that this dracolich might be more than they could handle without loss of life, but not caring for the fact that this creature may have been enslaved by the Church of Tyr against its will to protect the artifacts left here. Stormsong, her hatred for enslavement a core characteristic of her being, stepped forward.

"Free you how? To what end? What will you do if we do free you?"

"I would seek vengeance on those that stole my life and hoard from me." it replied.

"They are long dead," stated Polaris. "We cannot free you if destruction and death is your goal."

"Approach Daughter of Tiamat," the dracolich whispered. "Come closer so I may have words with you."

Moving forward cautiously, telling her party to wait a moment while she spoke with the monster, the Cleric moved within arms reach of the dracolich as it bent down to be nearer to her. Avi, sensing an opportunity tried to move around behind the party to flank, but the dracolich's passive perception warned him of her movements and the red pinpoints of light in its hollow eye sockets flared, its mouth opening as lightning began to crackle in the depths of its skull.

"Hold woman or I will strike you down where you stand." the dead dragon warned. Avi stopped, sensing to tempt him may tip things against the party.

Returning its attention to Stormsong he whispered to her.

"Take my essence from this place and I will give you the things the clerics left here. I wish to be free of my imprisonment," it said.

Something in the creatures tone, almost pleading, touched the Cleric of Tiamat, "How do I accomplish that?" She asked. Reaching behind the dull, cracked scales of its chest it pulled forth a shimmering blue gem. "Take this stone with you and you may transport my essence with you."

Okay, so most characters would be torn at this point, and I really did not think the party would actually negotiate, but negotiate they did. Taking the phylactery, the dracolich's body crumbled to a pile of dust, tattered scales, and ash. Sammael moved forward removing a chain from under his breastplate and something that looked like a reptilian eye shone a light forth, Panning it back and forth he finally centered on an area of the floor under the ash of the creature and thrusting a gauntleted fist into the remains he pulled forth a green, organic looking rod. The party, seeing this immediately moved to attack him, sensing that having what he came for, Polaris's obligation fulfilled to the Death Knight, they felt that letting him leave with an artifact was unwise. Wit was first in initiative order and used Hold Person on Sammael. Unfortunately the spell has no affect on a monster, let alone a Death Knight, so it was ineffective. Sammael went next as Polaris and Stormsong rushed to attack him. He held the green rod in front of him and it suddenly elongated, deep amethyst shafts extending from either end, the top forming a twisted crystal staff head, and the Death Knight triggered some sort of spell. Wit, Polaris and Stormsong all failed saves and were struck with short term madness. Rolling on the table for the effect, Wit and Stormsong were both overcome with laughter and then fell unconscious. Polaris was stunned and frozen in place. Then with an almost implosion like effect, Sammael vanished taking the artifact with him.

After gathering their wits and ensuring their three stricken companions shook off the effects of madness, the group searched the remains of the dracolich to find the last artifact, a holy spear forged of star metal that shone with a radiant light. Joren identified it and thought it best that Polaris carry it. Searching the chamber they found a partially hidden door that led to a small chamber with an empty arch sitting atop a dias. After much concern over where this portal may take them they finally decided to chance it and stepping through found themselves atop the very mountain they had entered. Deploying their airship, they decided to go to Ilipur where the Rogues had opened a house of "ill repute" they had used their treasure to purchase to have a source of income and a home of sorts. Wit mockingly calls the establishment "Tyr's Temptation" as a means of tormenting his paladin companion Polaris. They determined they needed time to unpack what had just transpired and how best to free the essence of the dracolich which speaks to Stormsong via magical means.

So, that is where we find ourselves when next we meet to play. With the holidays approaching our sessions may get a bit inconsistent for a while, but meet and play we will. I hope that you will all join us and continue to follow the adventures of our party as their story continues to unfold.

What are your thoughts? Reach out to us. Join our Discord. I would love to hear your feedback.

Until we meet next. What twists and turns await us.......in The Maze.