Session 111 - The Artist Macabre

General Summary

14^th Navek (Second Month of Winter) 722TR
The story so far

The Heroes encounter an old friend, Kimar Brynn the Bounty Hunter, and Uthriem Roliri Ranger. Kimar is hunting a particularly loathsome individual, the artist, and arcanist Ogerius Nethra. Orerius is famous in Morgathic society for making all manner of macabre artworks. He tattoos slaves, then harvests their skin for paintings and makes sculptures out of their bone and organs, which he preserves in resin.

Kimar and the Heroes have tracked Orerius to his hidden workshop and briefly viewed him before he disappeared behind a secret door.

The continuation of Session 110 - Secrets Revealed.

Location - Peran Wilderness a days travel from Quiso Keep in the Kingdom of Rethem.

Part 1 - The Artist

The artist, art by Artbreeder

Quazzy's invisible spider familiar follows Ogerius Nethra through a workshop into a dungeon with three cells containing two prisoners, a twelve-year-old boy, and a scruffy man. In a third cell is a large pool of blood. He gestures, and it animates into a Blood Ooze. At that moment, Quazzy and Yureb Dimension Door in and attack. Ogerius retreats from the dungeon into an adjacent chamber just as Athena and Lucia appear. He breaks a large Canopic Jars freeing a boneless humanoid undead monstrosity, a Giant Husk, which quickly envelopes Athena.

Ogerius catches the party in a Love Charm; however, Yureb steals that spell, rendering it useless. Annoyed, he fascinates Quazzy with his artistic brilliance. Quazzy has an opportunity to telepathically offer the "Great Artist" a means to escape, but he spurns her, saying that her "pale skin will make a fine canvas." Kimar pummels the Husk with a flaming sword, unfortunately injuring the entrapped Athena as well. Eventually, the Husk is destroyed, releasing Athena, who, aided by Yureb, slice Ogerius into pieces. They note that his body collapses into skin with no blood.

Part 2 - The Art Still Lives

Quazzy, released from the fascination, traps the Blood Ooze in a Wall of Ice. Moments later, Yureb hears the sound of movement behind the walls of another chamber. Ogerius emerges from behind a secret door with six Skeletons. Athena attacks him again, noting that he does not bleed. Ogerius Dimension Doors away, catching Quazzy and Yureb in a Confusion spell, while the Blood Ooze breaks through the ice barrier. Kimar and Lucia battle it and Ogerius while Athena dispatches the skeletons then enters the secret chamber. Here she finds an ancient tomb with old stone plaques of Morgathic inscriptions adorning the walls. She quickly inspects the plaques seeking to learn if they were the key to how Ogerius appears to come back from the dead. Frustrated, she discovers nothing of importance and retreats from the chamber to help in the main conflict, unfortunately overlooking the significance of the upturned painting lying in one of the broken sarcophagi.

Kimar is taken down by the Blood Ooze but luckily does not die from his wounds. Yureb and Quazzy break free of the confusion. Again, Quazzy contains the Blood Ooze in Ice. Yureb examines the artwork in the studio, believing it may have something to do with Ogerius regeneration. Finding no evidence, he turns Invisible and enters the tomb as the Heroes again strike down Ogerius, and as before, his body collapses into a heap of skin.

Part 3 - The Art Dies

In the Tomb, Yureb observes Ogerius' body reform next to the painting. Grabbing the painting, which is a very accurate representation of Ogerius, Yureb smashes a large hole through it. Orerius screams in pain and starts to bleed from his many wounds. He is now mortal and badly injured. Yureb escapes with the painting while the rest of the Heroes attack. Athena decapitates Ogerius while the rest of the party deal with the Blood Ooze.

Part 4 - Aftermath and Discoveries

Tedric, art by Artbreeder

The Heroes loot the lair, finding some gems and coins and a collection of costly pigments. Quazzy finds a creepy painting, Morgath's Leer, which she identifies as an Item of Divine Vision. This artifact will draw the attention of the god of evil, chaos, and the undead, Morgath, when invoked. She hides this away from Kimar and Athena as they burn all the evil artwork, dead bodies, and unholy artifacts.

The two prisoners, Tedric and Hudd, are freed, and Quazzy spends some time recruiting them to her growing Cult of Desridaen. The young boy Tedric shows some potential.

Kimar thanks his friends for their help and escorts the back to Tormau for a well-earned rest.

To be continued...