After rescuing Valuriss from the Fingers the party headed towards her hovel as they wanted to return her to safety. While moving slowly through the streets of Cavitius a man, with a desperate look in his eyes, approached the party. "Please can you help me! You are outlanders, and you are powerful. You can plead my case with Lord Haroln!"
The party stopped to listen to the pleas of the slovenly dressed man. He told them that his pride and joy, his beautiful young daughter Innova, was seized by Fingers last week and taken to the palace. The magistrates have refused to hear his pleas on her behalf, and he has also been denied an audience with the Arm of Vecna, the leader of the Fingers. He and his wife do not know why Innova was seized, but they desperately want her returned. He described his daughter and asks if the party will go to Vecna's palace, or to the fortress of Lord Haroln, the Arm of Vecna, to plead her case.
Demin stood by waiting for the monetary offer, Melisana seemed to be uninterested but asked if this was a regular occurrence. The man said no and he didn't know of any reason that Innova should be taken. Alhellara asked if she would be held in the palace. The man offered 13 silver for the party to plead his case. Lythandar told him to keep the money and that the party would look for her when they got to the palace. The man rushed off to tell his wife the good news.
The party advanced but barely three streets when a wisp of smoke snaked down from overhead and materialized before them as a darkly handsome man in black and red robes. He had a holy symbol of Vecna around his neck.
"Greetings, outlanders," he said in a cool. mildly accented voice. "I could not help but overhear poor Jakkob's pleas on behalf of his daughter. I am Lord Haroln, the Arm of Vecna. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please introduce yourselves." The group introduced themselves some using the actual names, some not. Lord Haroln urged the group to convert to the worship of Vecna, as the Memory of Vecna had suggested.
"Our meeting was not as much of a coincidence as it might seem. I have heard Jakkob's pleas, and I have been investigating the fate of his daughter personally. I've been wrapping up the investigation by observing Jakkob and his wife. You do not need to involve yourselves in this matter. Jakkob is concerned for his child, as any mortal would be, but I assure you that she is quite all right. I will give him a similar assurance once my investigation is complete."
Melisana asked why he is observing the parents of Innova. "You see the young girl revealed that the parents are planning to flee to Tovag. I am trying to make sure that they are not spies intending to reveal valuable secrets to the enemies of Cavitius. Tovag is ruled by Vecna's arch-nemesis, Kas the Bloody-Handed, and we are at war."
Lythandar determines that Lord Haroln is lying to the group but what is true he cannot tell. Alhellara asked about the Memory of Vecna. Lord Haroln explains that they are around to convert citizens and outlanders to the worship of Vecna. Things will go much easier for the group if they convert. Alhellara asked if there were other aspects of Vecna. Lord Haroln replied with the usual, Fingers, Heart, Hand, Eye, Voice, they are all here. Then he returned to mist and flew away.
The party returned Valuriss to her home and set out again for the palace. They came upon an area where the press of living and dead citizens was particularly tight as they made their way through a section of streets that wound to and fro like a snake. A pair of rag clad children darted out from an alley, chasing a tight bundle of rags that they were kicking as one would a ball, proving that the spirit of children even survived in a hellish place such as this.
Suddenly the street exploded in fire.
The smell of burning flesh and the screams of dying fill the street. Dozens of victims, both living and undead, lay twitching on the ground as their last moments fled amid a haze of heat and pain. Through the acrid smoke the group saw figures approaching among them a towering bearded man and a thinner one both wearing the grinning skull of Iuz on the armor.
"Well, well," said the bearded one, "Looks like Kher's puny spell didn't get the dogs. Looks like he got everyone but them. Well, I like stand-up fights, so let's get down to it. The party surveyed 4 humans and 6 orcs spreading around the plaza as the remaining citizens fled.
The battle was fierce as several area bursts occurred from the humans, most of the orcs fell quickly but one was particularly fierce. The party mostly attacked the wizard first who rained Dark Fire and Sulpher down from afar, while hitting Lythandar with a dangerous magic missile. Greatsword and axe attacks prevailed from the orc and the bearded one. Melisana caused fire damage to most of the creatures while Mara pulled 5 of the enemy around her near the fountain.
Lythandar found himself separated from the rest of the party and was soon bloodied as was Gofin and Demin. The area attacks were very harmful to the party. Alhellara used a healing burst on the group, except Lythandar who was too far away, which fortified the group. The battle raged as more orcs appeared to attack isolated party members. A Dark Utterance from Kelleth of Greyhawk bloodied all of party, except Mara, and Lythandar dropped to the ground.
The last few enemy fell as the fierce orc was the last to drop. Before resting the group expended all of its healing powers to revive Lythandar and fortify the rest of the group. They then licked their wounds while taking a short rest.
Scorecard: The group earned 5357 XP for the evening and now have 114,469 XP needing an additonal 4531 to reach 19th level. Mark joined us in person as he was in town from North Carolina. Roger was on the phone but received a power outage call and missed most of the evenings adventures.
No comments:
Post a Comment