Coia: 47 - The End of the End
General Summary
The Nabassu lay some serious smackdowns on Nym and Retta, and Mephisto knocks out Retta, Mithac, and Szarden before vanishing. In his absence, Zen takes out a stone golem and Nym takes out a Nabassu as we see the tide begin to turn in our favor. Nym attempts to walk through the portal, only to sprain his nose and bounce back from it. Angry and bloody, he takes out his frustration on the portal, smashing it to pieces.
Retta wakes up and attempts to Eldritch Blast Mephisto, only to accidentally nutshot Sszarden who’s standing over her and cause him to fail another death save. Mephisto knocks her down again as we take out the second Nabassu. The water elemental and the final stone golem turn on each other and we try to stay out of the way. Lucy plays a game of Keep Away with the death wraith for almost the entire battle before smiting it down at the end.
Nym bounds in toward Mephisto and hits him with a Stunning Strike, allowing others to pile on damage. Retta gets to her feet and in her only move of the entire battle, rips Mephisto up from nutsack to sternum and he drops dead to the ground. As he does, we feel the ground begin to shake and Zen notices that the lava below is starting to rise.
The Ground and the Vanguard Begin to Break Up
Realizing we’re short on time, we quickly loot the bodies because there’s always time for looting. Sszarden takes a necklace from the Nabassu and realizes it’s what was letting them control the stone golems. Garus cuts the horn off Mephisto’s head as a trophy and finds a white Robe of the Archmagi which he gives to Retta. We also quickly stuff 400 lbs of platinum into our bags of holding. Sszarden unlocks Nicodemus’ cage and Retta immediately runs to his side. Knowing he can’t teleport back to the material plane with them, Retta decides to cast her lot with her old friend Nicodemus. We give her a sending stone, telling her to keep in touch. She casts dimension door, nutshots Sszarden one last time, and disappears with Nicodemus. They land just outside of the castle and see the caldera bubbling as the lava rises. Running up the foothills of the caldera, they make their escape. Nym runs over to the girl who he finally recognizes as Sachia, and convinces her that she’s safe but they need to go now. Lucy uses the cubic gate to cast the Gate spell and we walk through to the first floor of the Shimmering Elm Library back in Tetbury.Catching Up in the Library
Asking an avowed for the way to Yaldra’s office, we burst in and she’s both surprised and concerned to see us. We quickly fill her in on the details of our adventure into the Shadowfell. Realizing there’s still a portal on this plane, Mithac pulls out the Amulet of the Planes Compass and we see it glowing in the direction of Gasalton. Remembering that this was where the mining camp was, we realize that our elderly couple must have perished in the caves before destroying the portal. We hope that Retta and Nicodemus are eventually able to finish destroying the Altherstab portal in the Shadowfell. Yaldra calls an attendant to come see to Sachia and take her away somewhere safe. She informs us of the developments in Coia since we’ve been gone. Our disruption of Soren Lorenson and the Red Cloaks up in Aveton has created a vacuum of power which Lord Mangdarroth has been filling by conscripting citizens and sending troops around Coia. Trying to soften his image, he had sent Sachia to Gasalton on a goodwill tour and that’s where she was captured by Mephisto’s forces just like the other local farmers there. She warns us that we are wanted in Coia and reminds us to trust no one. Lord Geddy Lee has also been acting dictatorily lately as he attempts to amass more power himself. She offers to get the Rod of Rulership back to Coia to give us some breathing room, but recommends we lay low for a few months until the heat dies down. Garus decides he’s had enough of this realm and heads back towards the spot where he came into this plane. Staying under the cover of his invisibility cloak, he finds his way back to his portal and walks back through to try to prove himself to his tribe. Lucy suggests that the rest of us hide out in the tree as we’ll still be able to adventure and do some good while laying low. Mithac, Zen, and Nym eagerly agree, and Sszarden eventually comes around to the idea. Yaldra wants us out of her library, so she gives us a teleportation scroll and we teleport ourselves back to Gerhart’s barn, only to find ourselves staring face to face with a big pig.Epilogue
Gerhart gives us a warm greeting and relays his tale of the past week. He had seen smoke coming out of the cave-in and gone over to investigate. There he had found Flynn crying over the body of Beth Ann. As we step out of the caravan, we realize we’re back at the mining camp in Gasalton as we see both Flynn and Beth Ann walking by with food and they greet us warmly. Good thing Gerhart is a helluva healer. We quickly find and smash the last portal to pieces and watch as the Amulet finally goes dark. We send word to Yaldra that our quest is complete. It’s been a long three months for this weary group of adventurers and we’re all looking forward to some rest. We remain helping out around the camp for a few days, and guide Flynn and Beth Ann back to their farm. When Lucy’s tree finally arrives, our old friend Mooseknuckle greets us and invites us inside. Each of the remaining members of the Dragonbone Vanguard bids a fond farewell to Gerhart, makes like a tree, and leaves.
Sszardan T'Sarran
Zenhorn
Nicodemus
Mithac Fezim
Lucius
Garus Silenus
Retta
Nym Lenore
Report Date
20 Nov 2023