Netherdeep Campaign Friday, February 3
Roll Call
(Absent) Childe Raymonde, Githyanki Paladin (Doty)
Bell, Kenku Cleric (CJ)
Blynce, Human-hybrid Fighter (Eric)
Vaal, Eladrin Rogue (Tim)
Bumi, Goblin Wizard (Matt)
Sheeza, Aasimir Wizard (Joanna)
Senzei, Human Monk (Frank)
GM (Chris)
GHOST IN THE STAIRS
The party forgoes rest to forge ahead up the stairs.
Just as they begin their climb a ghostly, icy-blue figure appears through the stairway wall and surprises the party. The ghost immediately freezes Childe Raymonde and his cold, rigid body slowly slides down the stairs. Senzei attempts to make friends with the ghostly lady, telling her, “We come in peace”. She smirks, but otherwise ignores him. Vaal attacks her with his mighty Time Piercer. Blynce swiftly draws his long bow and fires two arrows, wounding the ghost. Bumi shoots buckshot at the ghost with no effect and uses telekinesis to ease Childe Raymonde’s fall. Sheeza attacks with Fire Bolt. The ghost still stands. Bell casts Sacred Flame, but the ghost is unscathed. Vaal steps in to finish the ghost with his Time Piercer rapier. Senzei swipes Childe Raymonde’s sword from his icy grip and manipulates his frozen body into shameful poses at the base of the stairs as the rest of the party ascends.
GHOULS IN THE DEATH ROOM
The party proceeds to the hallway at the top of the stairs where they hear scratching sounds and see a flickering light coming from an open room. The room is a large, dusty chamber with sparse furnishings, and it smells of soot and death. Little else is in the room except for some parchments and a bookshelf. Blynce sends his Echo into the room to investigate further. He observes a smashed urn in a pool of dried blood in the center of the room.
Echo attacks and wounds a Ghoul that was hiding in the corner. Senzei creeps up to the doorway after he hears the faint snap of Echo’s bow string. Bumi moves up and casts Chill Touch on the Ghoul. A strange mangled, humanoid corpse scuttles down from the ceiling and lunges at Blynce’s Echo, attacking with its tentacles. Echo disappears. The corpse then approaches the doorway directly in front of Sheeza. Sheeza reflexively stabs at it with her dagger. Blynce fires his bow from the doorway, aiming at the wounded Ghoul in the corner. Another Ghoul emerges and attacks the reappeared Echo, but misses. The wounded Ghoul heads to the doorway and tries to claw at the real Blynce, but misses. Vaal lunges at the corpse with his rapier. Bell casts Toll the Dead on the corpse, but the target is unflinching.
Vaal swings and lands a wounding blow to the corpse with his rapier. Senzei attempts to put the pointy end of Childe Raymonde’s sword into the Ghoul but fails. Bumi catapults a piece of debris at the corpse, missing him. The debris continues flying, landing on the unwounded Ghoul. Bumi manages to shove Sheeza out of harm’s way (away from the corpse in the doorway). The corpse responds with a tentacle attack directed toward Vaal. Sheeza takes out the corpse with Fire Bolt. Blynce’s Echo fires an arrow at the unwounded Ghoul. The Ghoul advances toward the doorway and attacks the real Blynce. Bell crushes the wounded Ghoul with his Cactus Mace. Senzei attempts to chop at the remaining Ghoul with Childe Raymonde’s pointy stick but misses horribly. He pokes again at the Ghoul with the pointy end and finally kills it!
Sheeza investigates the room and finds more black stones like the one found downstairs. The items were taken from Betrayer’s Rise. Bumi uses Mage Hand to place a dozen black stones in the Bag of Holding. There is a key and three vials on the table, along with some sketches scattered about. Sheeza takes the sketches and the key. Vaal recognizes the vials as acid and Bell acquires the vials. Sheeza recognizes the dead corpse from a portrait of Tenaryn Hythenos downstairs. The party hears movement from the end of the hall and makes haste in the direction of the sound.
THE NOISE AT THE END OF THE HALL
The party heads towards the noise at the end of the hall. Blynce attempts to open the door at the end of the hall, but lightning flashes and a glowing Rune appears on the door. Bumi has the Mage Hand open the door. The room is a bedroom inhabited by a potbellied Maurezhi demon and a flying, decayed Aurora Watch soldier. The soldier flies past Blynce and he shoots it with his long bow. The soldier attacks Blynce with a tentacle. Senzei attacks the soldier with what he is now referring to as “his” sword. Sheeza Fire Bolts the soldier and moves to the back left corner of the room. Blynce switches places with his Echo and fires his bow at the soldier. Vaal attacks the soldier with the Time Piercer and takes it out. As the soldier fell Vaal saw a black, shimmering shadow fly out of the soldier and go through the floor below. Bell sees figures moving in the room and runs to the entryway to cast Toll the Dead, but it is ineffective. Bumi casts Chill Touch on the pot-bellied demon that walks through the doorway. The demon bites Blynce. A Ghoul approaches the doorway.
Senzei attacks the Ghoul in the doorway with his sword. Sheeza Fire Bolts the demon. Blynce swaps places with his Echo to escape the grasp of the demon and attacks with his bow. Vaal attacks the demon with his rapier. Bell smacks the demon in the face. Bumi catapults through the demon and the Ghoul in the hallway, killing the Ghoul. Senzei attacks the demon with his sword. Sheeza Fire Bolts the demon, but it still stands. Blynce wounds the demon with two shots from his longbow. Vaal then decimates the demon with his rapier.
Sheeza finds a journal on a nightstand near the bed. The journal is Hythenos’ coded notes. Bumi determines that his notes say Betrayers Rise can be cleansed by destroying Arms of the Betrayer in the capitol and that Ruin’s Wake is still in Betrayers Rise. Sheeza’s new-found key opens a foot locker containing 140 gold, 20 platinum, 2 vials of healing, and a Periapt of Health. There are several knapsacks near the bed. They belonged to the Cobalt Soul investigators. The knapsacks contained 34 gold and a scroll of Comprehend Languages. The party will later decide who should take the potions and the periapt.
EXITING THE HOUSE
Downstairs we see another animated corpse attempting to attack Childe Raymonde’s frozen body at the end of the stairs. Immediately after we dispatch the corpse, yet another corpse comes out of an adjacent room. The party quickly eliminates the threat and realizes the shadowy figure Vaal saw upstairs seems to be a Dybbuk, which is a spirit creature that moves from corpse to corpse. Bell determines Childe Raymonde needs a spell of Greater Restoration to reverse his frozen state. Bell recalls meeting Fogholm the Firbolg priest in town and suspects he may be able to help Childe Raymonde. The party must now decide whether to rest or promptly attend to Childe Raymonde.