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#11 The Games Afoot
The Hook
Having learned of the nefarious plot the party continues to Westhaven to stop the ritual
Prelude
in the swamp: They killed the dragon and rider and are headed here.
other places: Hasten the preparations, we must be ready!
Those same other places: Take a force and stop them North of the swamp so the hag doesnt kill all of us.
Summary
The heroes make haste to Westhaven for they have now seen the timing for the return of the Lich Lord and must make haste to prevent it. They travel three days without event and on the evening of the fourth night, they spot a few winged men circling their camp. After a brief discussion, the men, who identified themselves as Strix, agreed to help them make their way to Westhaven and beyond by conducting aerial reconnaissance and marking paths.
When they arrived in Westhaven, they found the guards slaughtered, several buildings in flames, and the townsfolk mostly held in the tavern with some orc guards. Hern and Dragan made plans to free the townsfolk while the rest of the group headed towards the chanting and fire near the shore. They had to travel through a space between dunes to get there and that's where nearly a score of orcs were waiting for them and launched spears. Most of them did not hit their mark, but a few did. Alon responded by raining stone upon the hapless orcs and nearly half of them were killed. Bornon rendered Ropp invisible and the halfling made his way to rescue the baby. War charged the orcs in a rage. He slew two with his hammer and a third died when he crushed its skull with a headbutt.
The battle with the orcs didn't take very long and before the orcs were dead, the group conducting the sacrifice had also been nearly killed. Bornon skewered several of them with his spear while Alon killed the final few orcs with a sheet of flame. Ropp steals the baby during the battle and confounds their plans to sacrifice it. Arric paralyzes the warrior chasing the floating baby and the final surviving human throws down his weapon and begs for his life. The group agrees, but they need to move quickly as they aren't sure if stopping one of the rituals would be enough to prevent the rise of Dobruk.
The Strix are still with them and they agree to help them get to the central location shown on the map. Working together they arrive at ruins where the ritual is under way. There are 8 warriors in a circle facing out, 3 wizards, and a half dozen clerics conducting the ritual. Bornon and Ropp smell brimstone and find tracks of what looks like a bipedal creature with hooves, but there's no sign of it. With a moment to prepare, Arric uses his magic to grant War greater strength and to secure the blessing of Dalenydra for everyone. Bornon and Alon also use their magic to bolster themselves.
Alon fires the opening salvo by blanketing the ritual area in stones; the wizards are killed but the others are merely wounded. The battle is joined and it is fierce and deadly with several members of the party being knocked down during the fight. One of the best moments is an ogre who is knocked flying by War and his hammer. The fight is hard with both Alon and Arric using most of their magic to kill or protect respectively.
As the last of the ritualists is killed there is a bellow of rage which frightens the last of the warriors and, sadly, War who drops his hammer and runs. The demon horse flies into the battle breathing fire. The battle with the horse is the most difficult they've ever had. Several of them are knocked down by the creature and things are going poorly. Just as things look their darkest, the Strix scoop up War who has overcome his fear and is dropped back into the battle. With the group at full strength, the tide of battle changes and the creatures succumbs to its injuries becoming a pile of devilish goo.
The heroes regroup and try to rest but they know the other four ritual teams are probably coming to investigate and, perhaps, punish those who dared to interfere. The good news is that the Sun rises and dawn comes to the area; the bad news is the Strix confirm their fear that the other groups are converging on them.
Quotes
GM: Ropp and Alon have the same hit points and so do War and Bornon
Bornon (mocks a swing): Not anymore.
GM: there are 6 points, 5 make a star and westhaven is one of them. the 6th is in the center.
Steve: How would we know which is the tip of the star?
Joe: It's on the top of the map.
Joe: All boats can fold once.
Joe: You kill one dragon and suddenly everything under 5 Hit Die is on your side.
GM : You hack off the ogres head.
War: That is AWESOME!
Joe: Are you a cultist or a mercenary
NPC: I'm a mercenary
Joe: You're still a dick.
Steve: Did we see another baby?
GM: No
Steve: I guess if we killed the baby, they wouldn't be able to sacrifice it.
GM: One of the priests dies.
Lou: That's how I like my priests.
Steve: Well, the evil ones.
Bornon: I am sick and tired of you mother-fuckin' outsiders on my mother fuckin' plane.
Jim: How did they miss?
GM: They're not proficient in dropping dwarfs.
War: We need to fortify the area.
Steve (quietly): Tank.
The Spoils
Lou: +2 Short Sword of Speed, +2 Leather
Steve: Scroll of Know Alignment
Tim: Scroll of Haste x 2
Jim(my): +1 Heavy Steel Shield +1, +2 Mace
Joe: +1 Full Plate
Unclaimed: Orchid Elixir, +1 Arrow x 6, +1 Long Sword, +1 Short Sword, +2 Two-Handed Sword
Coins: 18 copper, 24 silver, 11 gold each.
Experience Points
| Character | Previous | Bonus | Base | New Total |
Part 1
| Character | Previous | Bonus | Base | New Total | |
| Alon | 22411.0 | 300.0 | 2455.0 | 25166 | Went from Level 6 to 7 Need 8834 for level 8 |
| Roleplaying +300 | |||||
| Arric | 22411.0 | 300.0 | 2455.0 | 25166 | Went from Level 6 to 7 Need 8834 for level 8 |
| Roleplaying +300 | |||||
| Bornon Dibayou | 22411.0 | 300.0 | 2455.0 | 25166 | Went from Level 6 to 7 Need 8834 for level 8 |
| Roleplaying +300 | |||||
| Dragan | 14411.0 | 0.0 | 1300.0 | 15711 | Went from Level 5 to 6 Need 7289 for level 7 |
| Ropp Flamecoin | 13011.0 | 300.0 | 2455.0 | 15766 | Went from Level 5 to 6 Need 7234 for level 7 |
| Roleplaying +300 | |||||
| <= #10: Explore, explore | Chronicles | #12 Aftermath =≫ |
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