Session 25 - Blood for the Bloodfang

General Summary

Approaching the Burial Mounds

The underground cavern was thick with foreboding as the Ruinlords approached the burial mounds in front of the temple of the Shattered One. The air turned cold, and shadows twisted and elongated around them. The mounds pulsed with a sickly green light, and ghostly whispers slithered into their ears. Each step closer felt like a journey deeper into the maw of madness.  

Visions of Horror

The first to falter were Tike and Dunner. The whispers dug into their minds, showing them visions of sacrificial rituals too horrific to recount. Their knees buckled, and for a moment, they were lost in a sea of tortured screams. The others watched, their breath visible in the icy air, as their comrades struggled with unseen phantoms. The sensation, though unbearable, dissipated as they ventured further into the heart of the temple.  

Encounter with the Lizardfolk

Leaving the haunted mounds behind, they came upon a camp of lizardfolk. While campfires flickered, Cal and Vaz'non stepped forward, announcing their intent to slay Gruul Bloodfang. The lizardfolk, eyes hollow with despair, listened. Their chief, a monster who had killed their kin and devoured their flesh, was a common enemy. With a solemn nod, they revealed the password to the temple, their last hope pinned on these strange outsiders.  

Navigating the Temple Corridors

Inside, the temple corridors stretched out like the intestines of some ancient beast, filled with traps and dangers. Cal's keen eyes scanned the walls, and he quickly detected a spear trap poised to turn them into pincushions. With deft hands, he disarmed it; the tension hung heavy in the air.  

Battle with the Faceless One

After bypassing a macabre dinner party, the heroes descended below and interrupted a ritual being conducted by the Faceless One. He had dismembered one of the lizardfolk, and as Tike kicked down the door, he tore the creature's heart from its chest. All were part of the ritual similar to the ones suffered by the victims sacrificed to the Shattered One and buried beneath the burial mounds in the cavern above.   Two ebon triad guardians and one blood elemental kept the Ruinlords busy while the Faceless One retreated through a secret door. When Cal tried to activate the switch to open the door, he triggered a trap and was petrified. However, a fragment of the power of the ancient gold dragon Aurixalar that had resided in his whip cast a glow over the Cal statue and returned him to his mortal form. The gold strand that had once been in his whip vanished.  

Confrontation with Gruul Bloodfang

Then came the confrontation that Vaz'non had been waiting for. Gruul Bloodfang rose from his throne, a towering orc with serpentine scales covering his skin and a face twisted by draconic features. His voice, like the rumble of distant thunder, declared their doom. His Frightful Presence sent Tike and Vaz'non fleeing in sheer terror. It seemed the battle was lost for a moment before it had begun.   But heroes have a way of defying the odds. Tike and Vaz'non returned, their fear replaced by grim determination. Gruul fought with a ferocity that seemed otherworldly, his mythic attacks raining down upon them like the wrath of gods. His Shield Toss sent shockwaves through their ranks, and his Vengeful Strike nearly cleaved them in two. He moved with an Unstoppable Advance, a juggernaut of destruction.  

The Final Blow

Yet, slowly, they wore him down. With a prayer to Gorum on his lips, Dunner delivered the final blow, his greatsword piercing Gruul’s chest. The orc dropped to one knee, blood pouring from his wounds. "I will not be denied my destiny!" he roared, stabbing his blade into the floor. Darkness erupted from the impact, swallowing the light, and plunging them into an abyss of black.