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City Of The Spider Queen |
The party,
comprising Aerlyn (a half-drow sorcerer); Arnelius (a human
rogue); Dalgarth (a dwarf cleric); Yellyond (an elf duskblade); Didagi
(a bedine psychic warrior) and Adizar ( a tiefling rogue) had been
working as agents for Randall Morn in and around the Dalelands. Initially hired
to locate a missing group of adventurers – when the trail went cold in the
chaos in Cormyr after reporting back to Randall Morn, they had spent the last
several months adventuring in the Dalelands area.
Recently,
after a number of outlying homesteads and small villages to the North have been
raided, apparently by drow – the party was dispatched to check out reports of
people going missing near the thorp of Hollowfield.
Hollowfield
Arriving at
Hollowfield just as the sun was setting, the single street proved eerily
silent, despite the late hour no lights were in the windows, despite to the
approach of winter, no smoke rose from the chimneys. As the party moved
cautiously along the empty street, carefully drawing weapons, Adizar forged
slightly ahead of his comrades, as he passed one darkened house the doors
erupted open and three things, that might once have been human, leaped
at him out of the darkness slobbering and keening. As his mind reeled at the
otherworldly wrongness of these creatures, he began to defend himself as
more and more of the pseudonatural creatures erupted from nearby houses and
alleyways, howling for blood.
Some
distance way his colleagues reacted, however Aerlyn’s mind recoiled strongly
from these foul aberrations, and to her chagrin she found herself rooted to the
spot as her colleagues leaped into action. The creatures were clad in the foul
remnants of peasant clothing, and wielded pitchforks - save one, which appeared
to have a chain shirt and swung a hand-axe. As her colleagues joined Adizar in
battle, Aerlyn shook herself, and though she found herself unable to move,
began casting spells at the abominations. The party made short work of the
creatures, despite their minds reeling once again as the creatures, when
fatally struck, dissolved into a foetid pool of ichors in which a few rubbery
bones floated.
Experienced
adventurers all who had seen many terrible things in their careers, the party
took a moment to rest and heal - and ponder the encounter their very minds had
trouble comprehending. Adizar was first to recover his composure and decided to
venture deeper along the street – a moment later he wished he hadn’t - as a
huge alien fanged maw, ringed with tentacles, thrust itself at him from a
nearby house. As Adizar once again faced the fearsome challenge alone, his
colleagues once more rallied to his defence, their minds again struggling to
accept the alienness of the creatures they faced, two more of the
loathsome beasts erupted from nearby alleyways. Yellyond and Dalgarth closed on
one, while Arnelius and Didagi moved on another. Still nervous of approaching
the aberrations, Aerlyn began launching orbs of cold at the huge
creatures.
Adizar
isolated, ever the peril of the scout, faced a fearsome series of attacks from
the wyste that confronted him, and attempting to withdraw, fell to a final blow
from it’s tentacles. The others had little opportunity to react to the fall of
their colleague as they continued their own battles. Then Dadagi spotted the
first creature reach down with its tentacles and start to draw the unconscious
tiefling to its fanged maw - immediately the Bedine used his psionic ability to
dimension jump to confront the wyste. As one of the huge aberrations
finally fell, this freed up some of the party to focus on the one attempting to
eat their colleague – an orb of cold finishing that one off too. As the
tiefling fell heavily to the ground Didagi poured a potion of cure moderate
wound down his neck. The remaining wyste soon too perished once the full
attentions of the party were focused upon it.
After obtaining
healing from Dalgarth, a search of the village revealed little of interest –
all the houses were empty – and the party resolved to move on to the nearby
Telthin manor. As they approached up the hard-packed earth of the driveway the
manor house was as forebodingly silent and dark as the village had been. The
front door of the building was ajar and the party began searching. In the
library they found a curious mix of books on literature, drama and books on
occult lore many focusing on the Far Realm
and other forbidden lore.
Dalgarth outraged, began collecting the more loathsome tomes and throwing them
out of the window onto a pile in the garden. Meanwhile Yellyond, Arnelius and
Adizar began exploring the contents of two locked drawers in the study while
Aerlyn and Dadagi explored the rest of the ground floor. Many of the books and
document found in the study had curious notations in erratic writing and one
re-occurring glyph appeared an unsettling number of times –
In the locked
drawers the party found two significant document, one written in a spidery
cramped style claimed to be a treatise on the true nature of reality, the other
appeared to be a draft of a play apparently written by Sophia Lasilaran called The
King In Yellow. Hidden in the
basement a leather bound volume called the Carcosa Codex was
found. In the master bedroom the party found some notes relating to a premiere
performance of The King In Yellow along with a cryptic comment that
there may not be enough people and that “
Sometime
after midnight, Yellyond, who was on watch heard a faint skittering sound
coming from outside the room, pausing only to awaken Dalgarth from his
slumbers, the duskblade moved cautiously out into the hallway, lit fleeting
from without by the gibbous moon. The sound appeared to emanate from the guest
room next door - and cautiously the elf
opened the door. Her mind already assailed by the curious and unsettling things
it has perceived already, quailed once more at the creatures that confronted
her. Seemingly drawn from a lunatic’s nightmares the creatures resembled
nothing more than a writhing mass of grey flesh covered with dozens of randomly
placed, different sized and shaped eyes and mouths. Steeling her nerve, the elf
called for her comrade’s aid as the creatures set up an unholy gibbering sound
that assailed the senses and launched themselves at the elf spewing forth
strings of protoplasmic flesh each one containing numerous eyes and hungry
mouth thirsting after the elf’s precious bodily fluids and her very sanity as
well!
As Dalgarth
emerged from the room he noted in horror the quivering, slobbering, hungering
mouths, dripping in acrid mucous, attaching themselves to his comrade and
swiftly moved to aid - calling out for more assistance. Arnelius roused himself
from sleep, and Adizar in the room across the hallway, tumbled out from beneath
the beg grabbing at his swords as he did so. In the sitting room far below,
Aerlyn too blessed with the senses of her drow forebears heard the cry for help
and, rousing Didagi, moved out to the hallway. Yellyond, feeling the thirsting
mouths attached to her flesh draining her very essence, used her arcane power
to dimension hop out of the creature’s maws. Dalgarth and Arnelius moved to
engage one of the foetid abominations as they moved out into the hallway, while
Didagi and Aerlyn rushing up the stairs engaged the other. As the battle
against the unnatural creatures raged, with Aerlyn and Yellyond casting
powerful magics against the creatures, Dalgarth found himself in a perilous
situation, as one of the gibbering mouthers attempted to engulf her in its
slimy protoplasmic grasp, frantically tearing herself from the sucking mouths,
the cleric retreated off to heal herself. Finally one of the creatures fell,
collapsing in on itself in a foul-smelling liquor. The other, blinded by one of
Aerlyn’s spells, soon joined its fellow in whatever unholy afterlife would
accept such abominations.
That night
none rested well in the troubled manor of Telthin, even Yellyond was unable to
enter the calm meditative state favoured by her kind, each adventurer’s rest
was troubled by unsettling thoughts and dreams of Things Best Left Undreamt.
The Road To Dagger Falls
Rising
early next morning, Aerlyn managed to get some information from Maegan – the
girl they’d found in the loft. She had been late attending the performance of
The King in Yellow that had been held in the village square three nights ago,
and had arrived just in time to see a bright light – of a colour she found
herself unable to describe – fading over the square. In horror she saw the
players standing on a stage surrounded by huge swaying creatures, watching
dispassionately as her friends and neighbours fell to the ground and
transformed into obscene betentacled abominations. Her mind recoiled from the
sight and thenceforth, her memory was fragmented but she recalled running
blindly and finding herself at the manor, hid in the loft.
After
breakfasting the party resolved to return forthwith to Dagger Falls and set out
along the trail. About mid morning as they were passing through an area of
scrubland close to the Border Forest, their travels were rudely interrupted as
crossbow bolts launched out of the bushes around them, as the party deployed to
face this new threat, they anxiously scanned the bushes to identify this new
threat, spotting several armoured figures with black skin and white hair – the
drow raiding party they’d been sent to investigate in the first place. Combat
was swiftly joined with the dark elves. Adizar, Yellyond and Arnelius dashed
into the bushes to confront their assailants directly. Aerlyn and Dalgarth,
guarding the fragile Maegan who stood rooted to the spot in fear; stood fast as
drow raiders charged them form the bushes. The fight was brutal and short -
over swiftly as the dark elves fell before the party’s blades and spells.
The party
continued along the trail to Dagger Falls for a couple of hours, before
deciding to rest and have some lunch, Adizar decided to go foraging to
supplement their trail rations and
disappeared off into the scrubland, unfortunately he ran into a pack of
wolves that were also out foraging. The wolves, led by their pack leader – a
dire wolf, chased Adizar back to the camp, where with his colleagues assistance
the threat was swiftly dealt with.
After lunch they moved on along the trail, camping that night by the
banks of the Tesh River, that night as most of the party slept, they were
attacked by ogre zombies, as the companions woke and rallied round to face the
threat. Dalgarth, ever the heavy sleeper, slept on untroubled till one of the
zombie made the mistake of clubbing the slumbering dwarf. The dwarf roused by
the mighty blow leaped to his feet and displaying the symbol of Moradin, called
on the Soul Forger to destroy the undead. Instantly divine power spilled forth
from the holy symbol and destroyed the undead instantly.
Dagger Falls
Next
morning the party continued along the trail, arriving at the Teshford Arms, just
outside the town, mid-morning. Popping in for a swift pint before heading to
see the seneschal Larkall Greenspan, they noticed a flyer on the wall
advertising a performance of The King in Yellow - a quick word with the barkeep ascertained
that the flyer had gone up the previous morning. Downing their pints they
swiftly headed up to the city to find a scene of confusion – the city gates
were sealed and several bands of travellers were milling about outside unable
to enter, approaching the gates Didagi spoke to one of the guards who although
refusing them entry due to a state of emergency in the city; agreed to fetch
Colbert Radcliff the constable.
About 20
minutes later Radcliff arrived and recognising the party as agents of Randall
Mourn, allowed them in to the town where he swiftly explained the problem.
Randall Morn and much of the city garrison had departed two days ago in
reaction to a major drow raid on the village of Hadreth’s Glen. Last night
however something terrible had happened in the town square - as far as he could
make out, some kind of portal had opened there and foul abominations had
entered the town – he suspected a Zhent magic user causing trouble. Normally at
that time of night it wouldn’t have been a problem as the square would have been
deserted and the Guard could have contained the situation, however as chance
would have it some strolling players had been performing in the square and a
large crowd had gathered. The first the guard had known about the problem was
when people had started fleeing the area screaming about monsters. Two squads
of Guards sent to investigate had not returned so, with the help of some of the
citizens who’d served in the militia, the few remaining Guards had quickly
sealed off the streets around the town square and sent a runner to fetch
Radcliff. Many of the survivors, who appeared to be suffering some kind of
severe traumatic shock, had been taken to the Temple of Lathander. Radcliff
conscious he could not contain the situation with the few men he had left had
sent a runner to Randall Morn asking him to return or at least send some of the
troops back, however now the party was here he asked them to investigate the
town centre and retrieve any survivors. The party readily agreed and after some
brief preparations, and dropping Meagan off at the Temple, the party passed
through the barricades.
Beyond the
barricades, Dagger Falls was unrecognisable from the town they’d left four days
before – the level of destruction to the houses was unbelievable given only a
night had passed since the performance, the yellow sign was everywhere,
sometimes inscribed in yellow paint, but more commonly daubed in blood. Like
some scene from the hells, gore and body parts littered the streets, in
shadowed alleyways furtive tentacled figures could be seen hunched over
something raw and red. Occasional shadows could be seen moving in the buildings
but whether these were survivors or transformed townsfolk was impossible to
tell – occasionally the air was rent by an mad howling, or the sound of insane
chattering or even more unnerving a blood-curdling scream cut abruptly short.
Holding
their nerve, the party swiftly made their way to the town square where they
suspected the source of the horror lay. As they arrived they quickly scanned the
area for threats – they could see three wystes writhing sinuously, there was a
mob of about 50 transformed townsfolk swaying eerily and in front of they only
just recognisable was Larkall Greenspan, hideously transformed, but still
somehow in command. This was made abundantly clear as, noticing the party he
raised his voice in an unearthly howl and pointed. The mob, and the wystes,
immediately reacted heading to attack. Adizar and Arnelius co-ordinated their
attacks on one of the wystes, while Yellyond and Dalgarth hung back and began
casting spells as another of the wystes moved towards them. Aerlyn, much to her
comrade’s surprise, suddenly sprouted dragon wings and flying up into the air
began casting orbs of cold from her new vantage point. Didagi, slightly in from
of his colleagues as was his wont was swarmed by the clawing, biting, gouging
mob.
Yellyond,
found herself grappled by a wyste and used dimension hop to escape, Arnelius
too found himself grappled and being drawn to the creature’s maw – unfortunately
not having the arcane resources of the duskblade he could do little but attempt
to hack at the beast as Adizar continued his assault. Didagi managed to escape
from the mob and using dimension slide managed to get to a nearby roof and
began firing arrows into the mob. Aerlyn continued targeting the wystes with
cold spells, as Dalgarth, now alone found himself grappled by one of the
creatures and helpless, the beast began to chew!
As first
one, then a second of the creatures were felled by the party’s spells and
blades, freeing their grappled friends, Didagi’s arrows continued to take their
toll on the mob of madness that now had engulfed Adizar. At this point, the transformed Larkall and
the remaining wyste decided to join the fray – attacking Adizar and Arnelius.
Aerlyn finally dispatched the last remaining wyste as Didagi rain of arrows
finally dispersed the howling mob – leaving the entire party free to focus on
their erstwhile friend the seneschal. The ensuing combat was brief, bloody and tragic
- and in short order the body of Larkall collapsed into the now familiar putrid
gore.
Reporting
back to Radcliff that the main threat in the town square was dealt with the
party assisted the guard with the clear-up - destroying any surviving transformed
townsfolk. By late afternoon the job was complete and they reconvened with
Radcliff to tell him the whole story and that the strolling players, rather
than being innocent bystanders had in all likelihood been the perpetrators of
the whole tragedy. Radcliffe, incensed, asked the party to track down and
destroy the actors for their party in this horror, from which Dagger Falls
would take some time to recover – he also told the party the actors had stayed
at the Teshford Arms.
It was late
evening by the time they party headed for the Teshford Arms. The inn was a
hive of activity as all the people who'd been unable to get into the town all
day while he situation in the square was dealt with had migrated there. Quickly
finding the friendly barman they'd met this morning, they discovered that he
seemed to have no memory of the actors or their doings. However they did secure
permission to search the rooms upstairs. While Adizar, Yellyond and Didagi
searched, Aerlyn and Dalgarth went through the crowd, trying to find anyone
who'd stayed at the inn last night and might have seen anything - they
eventually found someone who remembered the actors leaving around midnight the
day before.
Dadagi, found a partially burned scrap of paper in the grate of the master bedroom, which Yellyond was able to decipher a little it seemed the player's next performance would be in Hillsfar. Horrified at the havoc they could wreak in a major city like Hillsfar, the party resolved to give chase. Returning to the town they looked up Radcliffe to see if he could assist them with horses and supplies. Radcliffe pointed them towards Fulgarth's Caravan Supplies and gave them a note that should secure them a small discount. At Fullgarth's, while horses and tack were chosen, Didagi, Adizar and Aerlyn worked out their best options - deciding that following along the main trail would leave them a day behind even without the constant risk of Zhent patrols, they settled on going through Daggerdale and cutting through Cormanthor to try and make up some time.
The Road To Hillsfar
After kipping down in the Guard barracks, they set off early as practicable next morning heading across the Dagger Hills to Shadowdale. Round about mid-day they came under attack from a gang of Hill giants, Didagi spurred his mount onwards and dismounting some distance away began firing arrows at the giants, Yellyond Aerlyn and Dalgarth trying to calm their mounts began casting spells, before two of the giants managed to close.. Dalgarth was knocked from his horse and Yellyond and Aerlyn dismounted - their hoses fleeing the melee. Adizar joined Didagi and unlimbered his bow. The party swiftly managed to overcome the brutes and proceeded across the hills after retrieving the hoses that had bolted..
Heading
down out of the hills they spent a quiet night in the peaceful farmland of the
dale before moving on toward Cormanthor. Entering the forest, led by Adizar
they had travelled a few hours when the aasimar spotted a tangle of webs in
front of him, as he swiftly reigned in his horse he noticed the webs were
around them to the left and right as well. As he did the party found themselves
under attack as five ettercaps and 5 hunter spiders dropped out of the trees
onto them. A vicious little combat ensued as the party struggled to control
their terrified mounts and deal with the creatures.
Continuing deeper in the
That
afternoon, as the sun began to set below the tree-line, Yellyond heard a
strange noise from a small clearing up ahead. Motioning the others to stop, she
dismounted and sneaked forward on foot. In the clearing ahead she saw two
draconic-looking creatures with curiously stunted wings, who appeared to have
freshly killed a deer and were feeding on it. As she watched the creatures
feed, she was horrified to notice one raise its head and look directly at her.
Realising
she had been seen, she began to cautiously back away, however the creature
reacted faster than she could believe, and leaping across the intervening
distance, swiped at her with it’s razor tipped wings. Unseen by Yellyond, the
second creature leaped into a nearby tree. Seeing their comrade attacked, Aerlyn
and Arnelius who were next up on the trail, too dismounted – seeing this Adizar
reigned in his mount and unlimbered his bow. As Aerlyn prepared to cast a spell
and Arnelius moved to assist Yellyond, the second creature was moving through
the tree line leaping from branch to branch and – unseen by all – a third one
was sizing up Aerlyn from another nearby branch. As Aerlyn unleashed her ray
of ice that seemed to stun the first creature, the second leaped down from
the tree attacked Yellyond before leaping back; the third performed a similar
manoeuvre against Aerlyn. Didagi managed to get a single shot of before his
bow-string suddenly snapped! Yellyond and Arnelius swiftly finished off the
stunned creature, Aerlyn continued to target the creature attacking her with
spells as it spring-attacked her again, Didagi drew his sword. Arnelius readied
an action and the next time the creature leaped down to attack he struck. In
short order the two remaining creatures were dealt with.
Moving on a
little way from the scene of the carnage, Didagi scouted around to find a
suitable campsite and the companions settled down for the night. On Didagi’s
watch that night he was disturbed by a crashing sound coming from beyond where
the horses were hobbled. Waking Yellyond he moved across to the horses to
see a large six-eyed creature coming through the undergrowth towards the camp
Didagi managed to get one shot off from his bow before the beast managed to
close in a flurry of flying claws and biting teeth. Swiftly the Bedine found
himself grappled by the grey render, feeling its claws rend into his flesh. As
Yellyond began casting spells at the grey render, Arnelius woken by the
commotion, rolled out of his bedroll and woke Aerlyn who joined the magical
assault. Didagi gravely wounded, manifested his hostile empathic transfer
power and transferred his wounds to the creature. Faced with such an assault
the beast quickly succumbed.
Next
morning now deep in the Cormanthor forest, the party continued, swinging in a
northward direction towards Hillsfar and away from the dangers of Myth Drannor.
Unnoticed by them, fiendish eyes watched them – an osyluth wandering out from
Myth Drannor in search of fresh prey was watching and biding it’s time. It’s
time came as the part stopped to rest their horses around mid-morning and
the bone-devil attacked. This fiend proved a greater challenge as none of the
party had Holy weapons – Arnelius felt the brunt of the devil’s attacks before
the concentrated attacks of the party sent the fiend back to the Nine Hells. A
minute or so after the combat as the group were congratulating themselves
Arnelius suddenly collapsed to the ground shaken and weakened as the poison
from the fiend’s barbed tail coursing through his veins suddenly took effect.
Sorely
weakened by the poison’s effect, Arnelius managed to re-mount his horse and
holding onto the reigns for grim death the party continued onwards. Early in
the afternoon they ran across a squad of wild elves who informed them that the
part of the forest they were about to enter was claimed by the Cormanthor drow
and that should take great care. An hour or so later, Yellyond- riding in the
front – thought she saw something move on the edges of a small clearing ahead.
Reigning in she dismounted and began to scan the area anxiously, the others
swiftly followed suit - Didagi moving off to one side and readying his bow.
Frustrated,
the drow patrol - their ambush ruined - broke cover and attacked. As
their sergeant attacked Yellyond and Arnelius, Aerlyn strode forward and
unleashed a cone of cold against her hated cousins. The drow troopers
caught in the cone dropped en-masse, leaving their sergeant alone facing the
whole party. She didn’t face them for long, and attempted to flee – however an
arrow in the back from Yellyond soon put paid to any attempt at flight.
After
dallying for a time with a green dragon as they crossed through it’s territory,
the party finally reached the Moonsea Ride – the main road to Hillsfar from the
south. Heading up the road, they spoke to various people heading southward from
the city, but weren’t able to elicit any real information about the actors
other than that the Playhouse was situated near the arena. Arnelius filled them
in on conditions in the city – most importantly on the Law of Humanity. As they
neared the end of the queue for entry into the city it was late afternoon. They
debated for a while as to whether to send a group up along the road to Yulash
in case the actors were still en-route but eventually decided to all enter the
city. Aerlyn, Yellyond and Adizar used Aerlyn’s Wand of Disguise to
appear human, while Dalgarth borrowed Arnelius’s Hat of Disguise to do
the same. And, as the sun set, they all entered the city variously as friends,
relatives, employees and financial advisors to Arnelius - all weapons were
peace-bonded and they were issued with visitor passes lasting a month.
Hillsfar
Forgoing
the pleasures of the Diamond in the Dung, they made their way directly across the
city to the Playhouse – discovering as they arrived that the performance of The
King In Yellow had commenced at dusk. Yellyond and Adizar swiftly
ascertained that the main doors were locked – so was the side door in the
alleyway nearby. Deciding that going in through the side entrance would be less
intrusive; Adizar picked the lock and entered the playhouse.
The play
was in full swing although as he gazed at the stage the set seemed vaguely
unsettling – particularly the ultra realistic backdrop of an alien city of
spires on the shore of an unearthly lake - the audience however seemed
unperturbed and was paying rapt attention. Moving brusquely into one of the
rows asking loudly for seat 6C Adizar found his attention being drawn
more and more to the stage and the somehow mesmerising cadences of the actors
voices – he attempted to shake himself but found himself drawn inexorably into
the play. There were four actors on the stage – one dressed revealingly but
clad in an unsettling mask inscribed with the yellow sign was obviously
Sophia.
Next into
the Playhouse was Yellyond who too quickly succumbed to the fascination of the
play. Aerlyn, was next, but he fragile psyche already damaged by the horrors
she’d seen was unable to cope with the alien backdrop and she stood rotted to
the spot babbling incoherently – eyes fixed on the surface of the lake and
horrors only she could see. Dalgarth after casting Silence on a coin he
was carrying entered the playhouse, although unsettled like the others by the
backdrop the silence spell protected her from the more direct effects of the
play – the silence also protected Didagi and Arnelius as they too entered.
As Arnelius
threw a smokestick and a thunderstone on the stage – the actors realised that
something was amiss and began improvising the play around their actions –
Sophia cast a summon spell and three large Carcosan bats swooped down out of
the rafters and attacked those members of the party not incapacitated. Merak
and Pottifer, two of the actors cast buffing spells on themselves while the
third, Enoch, cast as Slow spell on Arnelius.
As Arnelius
and Didagi dealt with the large bats attacking them, Dalgarth ignored the one
swooping on him and tossed the coin with Silence on it onto the stage.
Realising they’d forgotten their weapons were peace-bonded, Arnelius withdrew
back to near Aerlyn, while Didagi used his power to manifest a longbow. One of
the actors Pottifer reached down and picking up the coin, threw it into the
audience. Another of the actors, Merak cast a Grease spell on the
floor underneath Didagi that caused him some considerable difficulties in his
combat with the bat – especially as he’ dropped the bow!. Dalgarth again
ignoring the bat attacking him, cast another silence spell, this time on the floor
of the stage itself. Arnelius drew out a wand and began healing Aerlyn as one
of the bats attacked her.
As the
actors on the stage scattered to avoid the effects of her silence spell,
Dalgarth reacted by casting a Flame
Strike which managed to hit both Merak and Sophia –
Pottifer retaliated by attempting to cast Confusion
on her, but the strong-willed cleric shrugged off the effects of the spell and
cast another Flame Strike – as the spell hit Sophia this time and she
fell to the ground slain, the golden mask she was wearing split open and a
golden light hit the backdrop as it did the backdrop wavered and shimmered and
suddenly a huge monstrosity hauled itself out of the lake and onto the stage –
and water began pouring out !
Round about this time Adizar suddenly snapped out of his
fascination with the play, however the sight of the huge Carcosan Lake Monster
caused his mind to snap and he suddenly began attacking the nearest bat
attempting to rip chunks of flesh from it with his teeth. As the huge creature
began to haul itself into the crowd causing chaos and carnage, Merak cast a Confusion
spell on Didagi, just as he managed to remove the peace-bond from his scimitar
.
Pottifer and Enoch either terrified out of their wits by the
Thing from the
Aerlyn, confronting the sudden reality of the deepest
horrors she’d perceived began to snap out of her madness as the Thing from the
Lake cast aside Dalgarth having drained him of all spell-casting ability and
moved on to Yellyond and Arnelius who continued to fight as best they could.
Yellyond when grappled cast Dimension Hop to escape which unfortunately
left the creature’s full attention on Arnelius till Dalgarth finally
managing to remove the peace-bond from his weapon also attacked it.
Adizar continuing his obsession with bat-meat was
discomfited to find the creatures suddenly vanish as their summoning ended, but
resolving not to be defeated by such minor inconveniences began climbing the
walls, heading for the rafters where he might find more bats! Merak and Didagi
continued trading blows on the stage till Merak fell.
As Arnelius, gripped in the lake monster’s tentacles hacked
at it with his dagger, Dalgarth attacked with his axe and Yellyond continued
hitting it with powerful spells, Aerlyn suddenly snapped back to sanity. Seeing
the lake monster directly in front of her she reacted instinctively casting an
orb of cold at the abomination, wounding it mortally. As the foul aberration
collapsed into the by now familiar putrid ichors, Didagi following some
instinct strode over to Sophia’s corpse and examined it – noticing a curious
glow from the mask she wore - using his knowledge of picnics deduced that the
mask was somehow connected to the portal opened up on the backdrop. Drawing his
adamantine he dagger shattered the Pallid Mask, the portal to Carcosa
closed just as something else was stirring below the surface of the
lake!!!
The party made a swift exit by the back entrance before the
Red Plumes arrived after dealing with those of the audience who had
Transformed.