Session 55: The Swords of Kyuss
General Summary
After passing an uneasy rest in the room with worms in the walls, the party stretched, gathered their gear, and determined to clear the rest of the first floor, lest they leave enemies between themselves and the exit.
Back in the large room with the vaporous pit, the party was surprised to find only masonry where the opposing door had been. While the wizards investigated, Zeke stepped outside to reunite with his worried griffon. Evie (the griffon) was overjoyed to see her summoner still alive, and vowed not to leave his side again, though the ziggurat disturbed her.
As they searched around the wall where the door had been, they determined that some kind of transfiguration had sealed the entrance. Vin swiftly dismissed this with her Disintegrate spell, but they found enemies ready for them.
From behind a row of soldiers, each of them sheathed head to toe in ancient plate armour with an eerie green sheen, a mage in tattered green robes flung spells at the party.
The heroes responded quickly with spell and sword, but found their enemies just as coordinated. After the mage dispelled Vin's T-Rex form, Lins teleported behind enemy lines to close with the wormy wizard and take it out. But things went south when she found herself caught in the mage's Hold Person spell.
For round after round, Lins struggled against paralysis while the paladin and his griffon tried to keep the three well-armored soldiers back. These swords of Kyuss spewed worms on the paladin, and their wounds seemed to heal soon after he dealt them. From cover, Vin pelted the enemy with radiant damage and magical missiles, and the paladin levied divine smites against the undead soldiers.
Zeke fought bravely, but eventually fell to their blows.
The wizard looked on in horror - Lins had been silent since teleporting out of sight, and now the Paladin lay on the floor, the wormy soldiers crowding over him, dripping undead vermin onto his corpse. But there was no time to think as Sigvurd the druid-barian tumbled out of Nemara's grimoire.
He took in the situation in a flash, and charged the enemy line, slinging healing at Lins between striking at the soldiers with his glaive. A soldier, already weakened by Zeke's smites and his griffon's rage, fell. Lins broke free of paralysis, and then it was three on three.
Sigvurd blinded the wizard, Lins teleported back to her allies, she and Vin both pelted the enemies with fireballs, and as the smoke from the burning bookshelves and potion jars in the room choked the air, the party had no time to rest. Zeke had fallen, undead worms crawling through his body, and the party had fought enough Kyuss Spawn to know they had to act fast if they were going to save their friend from the very clutches of death.
Notes
The first character death of the campaign, over a year in! But will it stick? At this level, the party has options for resurrection. With undead Kyuss worms infesting the corpse, however, it might not that be that easy...