Episode 15 - Leave the Witchlight On

Leave the Witchlight On

General Summary

The Guardians of Golarion applied healing to the now-blind Shen Stroheim. With Hugo aiding him, Shen joined the Guardians as they made their way to Witchlight. There, they hoped to gain allies and set up a base to plan their next move.
On the way to Witchlight, the party was attacked by three blue lion-like creatures, with tentacles instead of manes. One of them managed to bite Valarius, infecting him with some kind of delayed onset infection or poison. It was unlike anything anyone had seen before.
Buzzards circled overhead as the party reached Witchlight. The buildings were barely standing, except for the fifty foot high stone tower perched on the cliff overlooking the ocean. During their explorations, the Guardians were attacked by two waves of zombie-like creatures with long, swollen tongues.  An investigation revealed that the zombies were made up of the four missing members of the Goldhammer party, as well as several members of the Cyphermages.
The tower appeared solid, as did the locked front door. They were allowed in by Samaritha Beldusk, one of the few surviving cyphermages that had holed up in the tower. Four other cyphermages were all that survived out of the twelve that landed on the island. They had been attacked by the cat creatures, many of the members pulled into the forest. The creatures launched repeated attacks on the tower, climbing the walls and appeared to be testing the fortification.
As the heroes started to establish themselves in the tower, one of the guards rushed inside. Two dozen of the cat creatures attacked the tower, climbing the sides and attempting to crawl in through the windows. The extra weight, coupled with the poor footings, caused the tower to topple and roll down the seventy-foot embankment into the ocean.
The Guardians escaped the tower along with the cyphermages. The cat creatures who survived the fall screamed silently as the salt water dissolved them like acid.
Now, as grey turns to night and the rain continues to fall, the heroes and the cyphermages stand at the bottom of a seventy-foot cliff. They don't know how many more of the cat creatures are out there, what else might be waiting for them in the dark, or what they're going to do next. The poison is taking hold of Valarius, reducing both his Dexterity and Constitution. Samaritha watches him closely, knowing the fate of others who have been bitten by the creatures. Not bad for Day One.

Rewards Granted

• One silver and ivory comb worth about 250gp.

Character(s) interacted with

• Shen Stroheim - Blind but able to move with Hugo's help.

• Samaritha Beldusk – An elven cyphermage who is trying to protect the few mages who are still alive.

Notes

General Knowledge

Led by a wizard named Fenella Bromathan, the cyphermages arrived on Devil’s Elbow 3 days before the Guardians of Golarion. Their first 2 days were relatively productive, although they were concerned that there didn’t seem to be “enough space debris” around, considering the number of craters on the island. The cyphermages assumed the shortage was because other prospectors had reached the sites before them.
The original contingent of cyphermages numbered 12 in all; Fenella Bromathan, her new apprentice Samaritha Beldusk, and ten minor wizards who were along for the experience and to provide assistance. Of those 12, only five remained alive. Fenella was among the first to die the night the "shadow cats" converged on Witchlight and attacked the cyphermages. Faced with magic-resistant and deadly foes, the cyphermages were torn apart. Those who survived did so only by retreating to the watchtower and barricading themselves in. They could do little more than watch as the bodies of their dead, left in the rubble, eventually rose as zombies and staggered off into the surrounding woodlands. 
Since Fenella’s death, Samaritha has assumed control of the operation. Periodically, she traveled up to the top of the tower to fire off an eye-catching spell like pyrotechnics in hopes of attracting the attention of others on the island for help. When Goldhammer’s men arrived, the cyphermages thought they were rescued, but could only watch as the men refused to approach the ruins further without being met outside—a tactic that ended poorly for them as they were ambushed and slaughtered by shadow cats lurking in the nearby woods.
When the cyphermages sighted the Mighty Maiden, Samaritha did her best to attract the ship’s attention with another pyrotechnics spell and was considering the risky flight down the mountainside to seek aid. Fear of the shadow cats and a sense of duty to the cyphermages too injured to move kept her at the tower.

XP

13751 / 15000 + 833 = 14584 XP!

Report Date

05 Feb 2019