Session 22: Keep Everwinter (II)

After some discussion and monitoring of the doors exciting the room, we decided to chance a brief rest. Unfortunately, our previous activity, or perhaps our continued noise, attracted the attention of a jelly creature, which dropped from the ceiling. The creature was tough, resistant to many attacks, splitting itself when sliced. After the battle, it was even more apparent the we needed to rest.
 
During our rest, reading more of the journal that Reaper had found revealed a recipe book, trying to create the ultimate holiday candy creation.
 
Our investigation of nearby by rooms found a locked door leading to a candy pantry of sorts. Among the various sweets, I found a magical candy cane sword. Among the other candies hid a huge candy hand monster. In the other direction, we found a young woman being guarded by a pair of fudge monsters, relatively easily dispatched. The young lady was Holly Kobuzev, daughter of the Count. From her, we learned that the mage Keeble Constantine had been fired for his increasingly irrational behavior. After which time, he cast the spell that changed the castle into its current form.
 
Further exploration revealed a prison where the Countess was being held. She was sick from trying to eat her way out of the candy prison. While I was opening the lock, another of the jelly creature dropped from the ceiling, attacking. After defeating this creature, we were able to reunite mother and daughter, who refused to leave until we could find the Count.
 
As we made our way about the castle, we ran across a gingerbread man who implored us to come in and help entertain some of the candy guards. Scar took the lead in a play about the true meaning of the winter solstice holiday. We supported him as best we could, which (surprisingly) seemed to placate the creatures, allowing us to bring the Count to safety.
 
The throne room was occupied by the mage K. Constantine, and Scar once again stepped forward to parlay, actually able to talk the mage into being reasonable, avoiding a bloody conflict.
 
On reuniting the mage with his former patron, he was quite contrite, wanting to make amends for his misdeeds. Somewhat surprisingly, he was accepted back in his role as court mage, and a celebration was called, only to be interrupted interrupted by a series of powerful tremors, as a huge candy monstrosity arrived outside the castle, uncontrolled by the mage, and declaring “Must eat flesh!”.
 
We sprung to the defense of the castle, each of us armed with a candy cane sword. The monster swallowed, and nearly killed Grace, but after a hard fought battle, Reaper was able to land the killing blow as it tried to reposition itself.
 
Once again, we were thanked by the Count and his family for coming to their rescue. The mage stated that we could keep the curious candy cane weapons. The castle and lands now secured, our thoughts turned to our next steps, return to Ptolus, or perhaps investigate some of those things which we had earlier bypassed.