The Curse of Vespmar Report
General Summary
Dimitri wakes up, blinking into the bright grey of an overcast morning. He can feel bits of frost gathered on his eyelashes. On his cheeks. But it doesn't feel cold. In fact, he don't feel cold at all.
Sitting up, he finds that his right arm, from the elbow down, is completely missing - his insides, too, are forfeit to the creatures that attacked the party last night. There is a large hole in his side, where most of his intestines have been ripped out and now trail, like spaghetti out of a bowl, along the ground. The snow in the forest is covered with blackened blood, but in this stillness, he can hear the sound of a pained animal. Turning his head, he notices the fox that had started this whole debacle, curled up against a log and trying desperately to lick the wound closed. Over and over again its tongue laps against the bloodied stump, and it whimpers with every touch.
Dimitri cries out in pain and shock, kicking out his heels as he backs himself up against a tree, holding his arm in panic. He glances at the fox, chest rising and falling rapidly as panicked breaths that draw no air enter and leave his body.
"I'm sorry..." He whispers. "I'm sorry..." He picks himself back up. There is no one nearby. It's only him and the fox. Slowly, Dimitri reaches out and picks up the wounded animal with his good arm and begins to stumble back to camp. As he approaches, he hears noises. Someone has gotten to the camp before him.
What Dimitri did not know is that he was not the only one to come back from the grave this morning. Somewhat earlier, before the sun had risen, Rickee's eyes open as well. The words from his savior echo in his ears, and he watches in morbid fascination as his left arm, also torn off by the creatures (though at the shoulder and not the elbow), begins to rebuild itself layer by layer. First the bone begins to grow, tendons wrapping about it and muscles to house them. Then sinew, and finally skin, like melted chocolate pouring down the side of a glass, begins to ripple down his arm. His arm, as it reforms, drips blood further and further down his arm, forming into a jagged, wicked blade - the Blood Moon Blade. "Rishaa?!" He looks around. "Marianne?! I'm scared!" He gets up. Once again, there is no one living around. Just frantic footprints in the snow and a destroyed wizard's body. Rickee slowly makes his way back to camp just as light begins to break. The foxfire charm lies inert in the ashes of the still smoldering fire, and Rickee picks it up, pocketing it. The rest of the camp is much as they left it. Clearly the other two are either dead in the woods, far away from the scene of the battle, or they are safe but long gone. Who knows which it is, but they clearly did not come back to the campsite. Rickee begins to clean up, taking down the tents and packing up belongings. His own packs he leaves on the ground, but makes sure to take all of Rishaa and Marianne's personal effects, with the goal to give them back to Marianne's parents so they at least have something to bury. As he does so, he can hear something coming from the woods. Something approaching. He calls out a demand to identify themselves, and he hears Dimitri call back in relief. The wizard stumbles out and.... oh dear. Rickee can see that he is undead. Dimitri's sallow face and shambling body, still moving after all life should have left his corpse are proof of that. Rickee rushes forward to help both Dimitri and the fox, tackling them both to the ground in his relief. After they both recover, Rickee casts healing word upon the creature to at least stabilize it. Dimitri suggests going back to town, but Rickee is aware of how people will react to an undead in their midst and gives Dimitri his hat of disguise - though Rickee's model is a beautiful masquerade mask. The twin to what he gifted Marianne. When Dimitri puts on the mask, his form shifts to that that is a clone of Rickee, while Rickee's form melts away and reveals a blue tiefling. Dimitri, if he is surprised, keeps his true emotions to himself. The two of them return to the battle site to retrieve Dimitri's torn and stained spell book, and head back into town.
It is one day after Rishaa lost her leg in the worst fight she's ever been in, but that doesn't stop her for a moment. Using a crutch, she drags herself out of the healer's home and to Tafeld's local blacksmith: Corbyn Weapons and Armor. She requests the use of their forge, which they confusedly allow. In a whirlwind of activity that would make the most proficient craftsman jealous, Rishaa completes her new prosthetic leg - a project that would take a skilled worker a week at their fastest speed - in one hour. It is a thing of beauty: copper-gold alloy with blinking eyes scatters all along it, and around the ankle insets of symbols to represent those she's lost: Dimitri, Rickee, her son, and her wife's real amulet of Maal (sacrificed to the fire in a bid to manifest the best version of Rishaa's creation), all circling like an anklet around her new leg. It's a thing of beauty (Rishaa can no longer be surprised). Marianne suddenly bursts into the shop, out of breath and frantic. Of course she is. Rishaa is only a day out of one of the most traumatic incidents a person can go through. After she has a chance to yell at Rishaa, she acquiesces to Rishaa's request to help fit her with the prosthetic. Upset, but not wanting to continue to fight, Marianne does so. As they travel back to Marianne's home, Marianne reveals that Dimitri and Rickee are still alive!
Finding no one at the library that serves as Marianne's home, the two once-dead adventurers decide to visit the Snowden residence. As Dimitri and Rickee approach Marianne's parents' house, they see Marianne and her daughter in the garden out front - but they are not the only ones to spot their companion. Marianne sees Dimitri (currently masquerading as Rickee) and Rickee in his true tiefling form, unrecognizable. Shakily, she tells Callie to go back inside. Once her child is safely indoors, she comes out to meet them. When Dimitri speaks, his voice is clear, and definitely not Rickee's. They explain why they can't be seen in public, and Marianne takes them back to her home before going to seek out Rishaa... who has slipped out of the healer's house and gone to the blacksmith's to make her leg. Marianne frantically searches for the monk for hours, and by pure luck stumbles upon Rishaa just as she attempts to fit her new leg.
Entering into the home, much rejoicing as the party is reunited occurs! But then comes the moment of truth, as Marianne attempts to remove the mask from Dimitri, who ducks underneath her hands in shame the first time. But the second, he ashamedly allows her to remove it. As the illusion melts away, Rishaa leaps to her feet. "Holy fuck!" Her fists begin to glow with radiant energy, prickling against Dimitri's skin like splashes from hot oil. She stares at Dimitri intensely. "Where were you born?" She asks seriously. Dimitri recognizes the test and answers honestly: Sarcystle. A few more questions prove that his mind is in tact. Marianne breaks down, blaming herself, but Rishaa points out that they don't have time for that. People hunt in the woods all the time, and every day that those things are still out there is another day that they might end up like the party did. Marianne attempts to dry her tears, agreeing that they need to focus on getting better and ending those abominations. Everyone's attention turns to Dimitri - the worst off out of the group. They examine the hole in his ribcage. Rishaa offers to patch him up, but as she stares at the cavity, she thoughtfully suggests that they could smuggle drugs in the space once it's cleaned up. Dimitri is heavily against this idea and begs to go to a cleric, which Rishaa strongly advises against, since most clerics are very anti-undead. Dimitri, swallowing both his pride and his fear, agrees. After he lays down on Marianne's dinner table, Marianne knocks him out with a frying pan while Rishaa does her work. Rishaa builds a prosthetic for Dimitri's lower right arm - not nearly as impressive as her own, but impressive nonetheless - for him to use as a wand, spell focus, or spell book holster. Her work is good enough that she is also able to imbue some arcane magic to the prosthetic, which is a simple bar-and-gear system with a rounded cup at the end about the size of an apple. The cup can be swapped out for pincers, a nub with a hole for a wand or blade to be set in, or a hook, as he should need (+1 spell attack bonus). She also removes the remaining intestines, cleans up the cavity, and packs it before drilling in a plate. Rishaa also cleans up and stitches his wounds and adds a metal plate to the area of his forehead where his scalp was ripped off. He's still not pretty by the end of it, but at least he's no longer falling apart.
In the closet off of the kitchen, Rickee is slowly rocking himself and the fox that he saved, trying to feed it while having a quiet emotional breakdown. Unfortunately, he's not able to keep the sobs down, as a critical failure leads to a bout of scream sobbing as he tries to care for this animal. Marianne hears the commotion, and comes in to sit with Rickee and comfort him. After he's calmed down somewhat, Marianne offers to speak with the fox - and casts speak with animals. They find out that the fox's name is She-Who-Chases-The-Bluebirds, and although her communication is somewhat stilted, they know that she is liable to die out there on her own. She is their charge now, for better or for worse. Rickee asks if Marianne got the handaxe he had gotten custom engraved from him, and Marianne tears up herself, but nods. The warmth in the room is palpable. Eventually Dimitri wakes up, and Rishaa takes a moment to give him the "the birds and the bees" talk - though it's more like the "brains and the brains" talk.... and she warns that she will not hesitate to end him, should he lose control. Dimitri agrees, and admits some small details about his backstory to Rishaa before the others reemerge.
The next four weeks as Rishaa recovers are busy. Rishaa works as a jeweler, Dimitri as a wizard (still using the mask to disguise himself), Rickee as a musician, and Marianne mans her shop. Callie stays with their grandparents for the time being, Marianne insistent that she does not want her toddler mixed up in all this (but who knows how much of that stance is due to Dimitri's new hunger for flesh). Speaking of Dimitri's hunger for flesh, he is so disgusted by his new appetite that he attempts to starve himself in an attempt to never touch the diet he must now consume. Fortunately for him (and others), Marianne refuses to let him get away with such nonsense, and she and Rishaa hold him down and forcefeed him raw meet. The Week of Gifts comes and goes, with Rickee sending a letter to his mom and Dimitri sending a letter to his brother... asking for money. At the start of the new month, the party prepares to set out and exterminate their quarry.
What Dimitri did not know is that he was not the only one to come back from the grave this morning. Somewhat earlier, before the sun had risen, Rickee's eyes open as well. The words from his savior echo in his ears, and he watches in morbid fascination as his left arm, also torn off by the creatures (though at the shoulder and not the elbow), begins to rebuild itself layer by layer. First the bone begins to grow, tendons wrapping about it and muscles to house them. Then sinew, and finally skin, like melted chocolate pouring down the side of a glass, begins to ripple down his arm. His arm, as it reforms, drips blood further and further down his arm, forming into a jagged, wicked blade - the Blood Moon Blade. "Rishaa?!" He looks around. "Marianne?! I'm scared!" He gets up. Once again, there is no one living around. Just frantic footprints in the snow and a destroyed wizard's body. Rickee slowly makes his way back to camp just as light begins to break. The foxfire charm lies inert in the ashes of the still smoldering fire, and Rickee picks it up, pocketing it. The rest of the camp is much as they left it. Clearly the other two are either dead in the woods, far away from the scene of the battle, or they are safe but long gone. Who knows which it is, but they clearly did not come back to the campsite. Rickee begins to clean up, taking down the tents and packing up belongings. His own packs he leaves on the ground, but makes sure to take all of Rishaa and Marianne's personal effects, with the goal to give them back to Marianne's parents so they at least have something to bury. As he does so, he can hear something coming from the woods. Something approaching. He calls out a demand to identify themselves, and he hears Dimitri call back in relief. The wizard stumbles out and.... oh dear. Rickee can see that he is undead. Dimitri's sallow face and shambling body, still moving after all life should have left his corpse are proof of that. Rickee rushes forward to help both Dimitri and the fox, tackling them both to the ground in his relief. After they both recover, Rickee casts healing word upon the creature to at least stabilize it. Dimitri suggests going back to town, but Rickee is aware of how people will react to an undead in their midst and gives Dimitri his hat of disguise - though Rickee's model is a beautiful masquerade mask. The twin to what he gifted Marianne. When Dimitri puts on the mask, his form shifts to that that is a clone of Rickee, while Rickee's form melts away and reveals a blue tiefling. Dimitri, if he is surprised, keeps his true emotions to himself. The two of them return to the battle site to retrieve Dimitri's torn and stained spell book, and head back into town.
It is one day after Rishaa lost her leg in the worst fight she's ever been in, but that doesn't stop her for a moment. Using a crutch, she drags herself out of the healer's home and to Tafeld's local blacksmith: Corbyn Weapons and Armor. She requests the use of their forge, which they confusedly allow. In a whirlwind of activity that would make the most proficient craftsman jealous, Rishaa completes her new prosthetic leg - a project that would take a skilled worker a week at their fastest speed - in one hour. It is a thing of beauty: copper-gold alloy with blinking eyes scatters all along it, and around the ankle insets of symbols to represent those she's lost: Dimitri, Rickee, her son, and her wife's real amulet of Maal (sacrificed to the fire in a bid to manifest the best version of Rishaa's creation), all circling like an anklet around her new leg. It's a thing of beauty (Rishaa can no longer be surprised). Marianne suddenly bursts into the shop, out of breath and frantic. Of course she is. Rishaa is only a day out of one of the most traumatic incidents a person can go through. After she has a chance to yell at Rishaa, she acquiesces to Rishaa's request to help fit her with the prosthetic. Upset, but not wanting to continue to fight, Marianne does so. As they travel back to Marianne's home, Marianne reveals that Dimitri and Rickee are still alive!
Finding no one at the library that serves as Marianne's home, the two once-dead adventurers decide to visit the Snowden residence. As Dimitri and Rickee approach Marianne's parents' house, they see Marianne and her daughter in the garden out front - but they are not the only ones to spot their companion. Marianne sees Dimitri (currently masquerading as Rickee) and Rickee in his true tiefling form, unrecognizable. Shakily, she tells Callie to go back inside. Once her child is safely indoors, she comes out to meet them. When Dimitri speaks, his voice is clear, and definitely not Rickee's. They explain why they can't be seen in public, and Marianne takes them back to her home before going to seek out Rishaa... who has slipped out of the healer's house and gone to the blacksmith's to make her leg. Marianne frantically searches for the monk for hours, and by pure luck stumbles upon Rishaa just as she attempts to fit her new leg.
Entering into the home, much rejoicing as the party is reunited occurs! But then comes the moment of truth, as Marianne attempts to remove the mask from Dimitri, who ducks underneath her hands in shame the first time. But the second, he ashamedly allows her to remove it. As the illusion melts away, Rishaa leaps to her feet. "Holy fuck!" Her fists begin to glow with radiant energy, prickling against Dimitri's skin like splashes from hot oil. She stares at Dimitri intensely. "Where were you born?" She asks seriously. Dimitri recognizes the test and answers honestly: Sarcystle. A few more questions prove that his mind is in tact. Marianne breaks down, blaming herself, but Rishaa points out that they don't have time for that. People hunt in the woods all the time, and every day that those things are still out there is another day that they might end up like the party did. Marianne attempts to dry her tears, agreeing that they need to focus on getting better and ending those abominations. Everyone's attention turns to Dimitri - the worst off out of the group. They examine the hole in his ribcage. Rishaa offers to patch him up, but as she stares at the cavity, she thoughtfully suggests that they could smuggle drugs in the space once it's cleaned up. Dimitri is heavily against this idea and begs to go to a cleric, which Rishaa strongly advises against, since most clerics are very anti-undead. Dimitri, swallowing both his pride and his fear, agrees. After he lays down on Marianne's dinner table, Marianne knocks him out with a frying pan while Rishaa does her work. Rishaa builds a prosthetic for Dimitri's lower right arm - not nearly as impressive as her own, but impressive nonetheless - for him to use as a wand, spell focus, or spell book holster. Her work is good enough that she is also able to imbue some arcane magic to the prosthetic, which is a simple bar-and-gear system with a rounded cup at the end about the size of an apple. The cup can be swapped out for pincers, a nub with a hole for a wand or blade to be set in, or a hook, as he should need (+1 spell attack bonus). She also removes the remaining intestines, cleans up the cavity, and packs it before drilling in a plate. Rishaa also cleans up and stitches his wounds and adds a metal plate to the area of his forehead where his scalp was ripped off. He's still not pretty by the end of it, but at least he's no longer falling apart.
In the closet off of the kitchen, Rickee is slowly rocking himself and the fox that he saved, trying to feed it while having a quiet emotional breakdown. Unfortunately, he's not able to keep the sobs down, as a critical failure leads to a bout of scream sobbing as he tries to care for this animal. Marianne hears the commotion, and comes in to sit with Rickee and comfort him. After he's calmed down somewhat, Marianne offers to speak with the fox - and casts speak with animals. They find out that the fox's name is She-Who-Chases-The-Bluebirds, and although her communication is somewhat stilted, they know that she is liable to die out there on her own. She is their charge now, for better or for worse. Rickee asks if Marianne got the handaxe he had gotten custom engraved from him, and Marianne tears up herself, but nods. The warmth in the room is palpable. Eventually Dimitri wakes up, and Rishaa takes a moment to give him the "the birds and the bees" talk - though it's more like the "brains and the brains" talk.... and she warns that she will not hesitate to end him, should he lose control. Dimitri agrees, and admits some small details about his backstory to Rishaa before the others reemerge.
The next four weeks as Rishaa recovers are busy. Rishaa works as a jeweler, Dimitri as a wizard (still using the mask to disguise himself), Rickee as a musician, and Marianne mans her shop. Callie stays with their grandparents for the time being, Marianne insistent that she does not want her toddler mixed up in all this (but who knows how much of that stance is due to Dimitri's new hunger for flesh). Speaking of Dimitri's hunger for flesh, he is so disgusted by his new appetite that he attempts to starve himself in an attempt to never touch the diet he must now consume. Fortunately for him (and others), Marianne refuses to let him get away with such nonsense, and she and Rishaa hold him down and forcefeed him raw meet. The Week of Gifts comes and goes, with Rickee sending a letter to his mom and Dimitri sending a letter to his brother... asking for money. At the start of the new month, the party prepares to set out and exterminate their quarry.
Character(s) interacted with
- She-Who-Chases-The-Bluebirds
- Tam (who brings over a few meals when he can spare it)
Notes
Quotes of the Session
Will: "Marianne is sponsored by G-Fuel?!" SJ: "The only thing I've ever had G-Fuel in was vodka and it was fucking disgusting."
Marianne (to Rickee, on not leaving again): "I'm a little scared about making promises right now, but I'll do my damn best."
Rishaa: "I'm really glad you're here, actually - I need you to put my leg on. The blacksmith won't do it."
Dimitri: "I woke up in a field with my organs outside of my body!" Rishaa: "That sounds very traumatic, I'm not going to lie to you."
Rishaa: "Have you had any urges. Not like... Puberty..."
Rishaa: "Lesser undead like you - not that you're lesser undead but it's... based on... challenge rating..."
Rishaa: "Well, we're all alive-slash-semi-alive."
Rishaa Parbat
None Wood Half-Elf (Monastic Learning)
Monk 6
Monk 6
51 / 51 HP
STR
8
8
DEX
20
20
CON
16
16
INT
12
12
WIS
16
16
CHA
13
13
Rickee Trail
None Tiefling (Urchin)
Bard 5
Warlock 1
Bard 5
Warlock 1
33 / 33 HP
STR
9
9
DEX
16
16
CON
10
10
INT
12
12
WIS
15
15
CHA
18
18
Dimitri Markov
Zombie (Acolyte)
Wizard 5
Wizard 5
32 / 32 HP
STR
11
11
DEX
14
14
CON
15
15
INT
18
18
WIS
12
12
CHA
11
11
Marianne Snowden
Lawful Good Shifter (Sage)
Barbarian 6
Barbarian 6
71 / 71 HP
STR
19
19
DEX
18
18
CON
19
19
INT
18
18
WIS
16
16
CHA
9
9
Report Date
26 Aug 2022
Primary Location
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