Session 54 - We're Not Faffing, We're Stealthing
19th August 2022 - 19:45 - 11:00
In-game timeline: Start of session: 1489DR Nightal 3. End of session: 1489DR Nightal 3
Our "Heroes" stand before some imposing wooden doors. They open them, expecting the worst. Beyond them is a room, very dark, with what looks like a mechanical contraption taking up most of the room. An inscription around the walls seems to hint at the word "Stars". A stone control panel is at the side of the room, and a small stream runs along the eastern side of the room. The contraption seems to have a number of large globes standing on poles around the room and there is a large, unlit brazier in the centre of the room.
Much discussion ensues as to whether they should light the brazier, pull a lever, turn a dial or just leave well alone. The end result is an agreement to leave well alone for now and maybe come back later to play around with the contraption. They leave the room and head to the staircase doing down further into the ruins.
This staircase also sports the now familiar impressive bas relief carvings. These seem to depict a God who turned to fight on the side of the Titans, though there is no indication of what happened to cause the change of heart and change of side. Iwee has a vague recollection of a God named Genesis, who apparently betrayed his fellow Gods in the great Titanic wars, but who met his demise in the Final Battle.
They descend the stairs, quite noisily in the case of Iwee who is too focused on the carvings to keep her footing, and look up the corridor at the bottom, seeing nothing but more torches and storage crates.
They continue trying to stealth and creep up the single corridor, eventually spotting a closed door at the end, with the corridor seeming to double back on itself by this door. Pachino is duly summoned to act as a watch and he immediately indicates that something is moving ahead. A little too late, as at that moment, Karoshi and Iwee also spot a humanoid run up from the connecting corridor and hammer on the door, before ducking back again. His shout of "Intruders!" implies that despite their stealthy attempts, they have been spotted!
Trying to get the jump over whatever is in the room, Karoshi and Derrick rush up to the door and stand either side of it, ready to hit any enemies that may come out of it.
Was this a good plan? We'll see.
The door opens to reveal a bear-like creature, who roars and rushes to attack the fighters outside the door. Prepared actions fire off to pepper the bear with silver weapons. Behind the bear stands a werewolf female.
As if this wasn't enough, the party are also having to fend off crossbow bolts that seem to be fired from multiple creatures down the corridor.
The bear is not only tough to hurt, but is also very strong and every swipe of its paw or bite seems to cause a lot of damage - to Derrick initially. Karoshi is faced by the werewolf and is saved from a bite by Iwee's cutting words. Jaxii rages but Derrick falls to a bite, luckily avoiding infection, and a swing of the Bear's mighty greataxe!
Karoshi now needs to face both the bear and the wolf, whilst also being sniped by crossbow bolts. Iwee uses her last cutting words (strangely on reducing the damage of a critical hit, rather than reducing the attack roll, but who am I to judge?) to help out. Jaxii uses her breath weapon to singe the bear and the wolf - as well as Karoshi, though he is resistant to the fire, luckily. Soon after, Karoshi does fall, though not before hitting the wolf for considerable damage.
With Derrick and Karoshi both down, the ladies step up. Iwee stabilises Derrick before running into the room beyond, chasing the wolf who had previously run in there, and spots the wolf necking a healing potion. Jaxii faces the bear and scores some significant damage, though at the expense of accuracy, something that she may come to regret, as the bear is still standing and Jaxii does not land every hit. Whilst Iwee is busy slagging off and demoralising the wolf, Jaxii is unable to take the bear down before she herself falls to a greataxe blow.
With all the fighters down and the bear and the wolf still standing - the wolf only just - Iwee concedes, and gives up when the bear, reverting back to a large human male, tells her to drop her weapons and surrender. Iwee can see that the offer will not remain for long, especially as her mockery of the werewolf did not go down well with the bear.
The party is fallen! Only Iwee remains standing, the others unconscious. Iwee notes that the bear does, roughly and without any care, stabilise Jaxii and Karoshi. She holds out slim hope that perhaps they will be kept alive. But for what purpose?