After returning to Stormreach, our adventurers found themselves in the possession of a chunk of dragon shard almost a full 5-ft tall, some three days to spare before their holiday was over, a tribe of three barbarians, and Vicks possessed with a sleeping disorder and bereft of his spells. After cashing in the dragon shard for a hefty 21,000 gold at Zan Zar's Magic Emporium, our adventurers decided finally, after several distractions, including an act of vandalism, a run-in with a fire belching drunk in the slums, and general sketchiness, to investigate the cause for Vicks' distress. Afterall, if the party's one life line back to the land of the living was unable to in fact revive anybody, then it would be quite the pain.
Returning to Zan Zar, Vicks discovers that help might only be a short few days trek away. The paladin Sir Herman, recently rescued from the Demonweb Pits, was in fact a capable exorcist of the Silver Flame, and could likely liberate Vicks from whatever night terrors were plaguing him with his powerful prayers. Of course, finding Sir Herman was another issue, and that meant tracking him down. Zan Zar also sold Vicks a Khyber shard, a piece of the original shard that the possessing spirit supposedly had come from.
With receptacle in hand, the party began making their inquiries about town, and through some stroke of good fortune, discovered that Simon the necromancer, who was a part of the group Sir Herman and Lady Alanis were with, was in fact still in town and was staying at the Culled Swine Tavern.
Visiting the necromancer was an unnerving experience. The group was teleported into an extradimensional plane, where they were quizzed about Vicks's problem. Simon though proved that he could in fact offer a solution; with the Khyber shard, Simon could transfer the curse on Vicks to somebody else in the group. And all for the low low price of a soul. It was not a goodly act, however and Vicks refused. This meant, of course, that they had to go after Sir Herman after all.
The trip to the town of Dulled Quartz proved uneventful. The party chartered a wagon, and led by Korf and his fellow barbarians, made good time through the forests of Xen'drik. A strange silence permeated the forest, and as they got closer to the tiny hamlet, chanced upon a caravan, abandoned by the roadside. It's cargo was still intact, and the horses unharmed, but the teamsters were all missing, vanished without a trace. Searching the caravan for loot, the adventurers discovered that the cargo was in fact sundries and provisions ordered by the Builder's Guild, the Adventurer's Guild, and the Merchant's Union in Stormreach, and resolved to return the lot for a reward. Sending Korf and friends back to Stormreach with news of their find, the party pressed on to Dulled Quartz in their newly commandeered caravan, and made the town by nightfall.
Dulled Quartz was a sleepy hamlet, about two score thatched buildings surrounding a circular town square. A beaten dirt road ran down its middle, while a creek, flowing from a lake over yonder, ran through it and joined with the river down south. The lone temple, a small shrine to Arawai, stood in the distance, atop a stumpy hillock. The atmosphere was was cold and lifeless, and the air felt thick with evil. Evil so strong it made Picadilly's eyes cross and squint in the darkness. Vicks lit a lantern and hung it from the caravan post as he drove the caravan along the dirt road, and our adventurers made themselves ready. Eyes peeled and weapons drawn, they spread out and advanced cautiously towards the temple.
But all their preparations weren't enough to stay the creatures that assailed them. First, the two horses pulling the caravan neighed, quietly, and dropped dead, forcing the caravan to grind to a halt. Then peeling themselves off the walls, wispy shades that looked like villagers swarmed over the party, assaulting them with insubstantial hands that thirsted after life force.
These beings, shadows of their former selves, looked pallid and miserable. Their visages were crooked and twisted, and their eyes hollow, black pits. They swarmed over Akamiya, who had chosen to creep around near one of the buildings, and then the others, draining their strength and numbing their bones.
It was hard for our adventurers to strike back. The creatures were incorporeal, and proved difficult to hit with weapons, even enchanted ones. Spells and powers alone seemed to have some effect - Chris and Diaspo blew some of the shadows to bits with eldritch blasts and thundering cones. Saren lobbed an exploding sonic stone in the direction of the shadows assaulting Akamiya and distracted them, while Akamiya fought back, and stabbed a shadow in the face with his magic knife. Picadilly swung her hammer blindly, and missed on both counts, while Stab, too, stabbed ineffectually at the shadow next to him, drawing only thin lines.
But it wasn't quite enough. There were 10 shadows assaulting the group, a veritable mob. Even as Chris and Diaspo blew three of them to pieces, the others renewed their assault. Akamiya collapsed under the onslaught, drained off color and vitality, and Saren soon followed. Pulling out his staff of fire, Chris lobbed a big one at the rear of the wagon where the shadows had converged, blowing several of them to bits. The wagon too, exploded into flinders. Vicks then took the staff, and conjured a wall of fire on the shadows, searing them again.
The group finally overcame the shadows, thinning their ranks with more spell attacks. However, it was too late to save Akamiya and Saren. No sooner had the group dispatched the last of the shadows, that Saren and Akamiya's bodies become the same as the creatures that had slain them, turning into beings composed of shadow stuff. Reluctantly (or perhaps happily, depending on how you look at it) the party dispatched off their newly turned friends, and lamenting the loss of their erstwhile probationary companions (and all the phat lewt they carried), sped their way to the temple.
What further shenanigans await our party in Xen'drik? Will Vicks' curse be lifted? Will there be new party members?
All this and more in next week's installment of Eberron Mystery Theatre.
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Treasure and Experience
1. All adventurers gain 1,500 xp, and an additional 500 xp for roleplaying. That makes 2,000 xp in all. Vicks reaches Level 9.
2. Since the caravan was blown up, and there are still shadows encroaching, you don't get the chance to scavenge from the caravan or search for treasure. Perhaps you will be able to do so when the next day dawns. :P If you survive.
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