Session 149 - Spiders of Doom

General Summary

28^th Kelen to 30^th (Third Month of Spring) 723TR

The story so far

The Kingdom of Rethem is engulfed in a bloody civil war with the heroes fighting on the side of the rebels led by the Earl of Tormau.

They have successfully discovered King Chafin III war plans, and now have to return that information to the rebels. However, first, an old friend needs help.

The continuation of Session 148 - Spies and Schemes.

Location - City of Golotha in the Kingdom of Rethem.

Part 1 - Tricking An Old Friend

The heroes make plans to return to Tormau with the intelligence they have gathered when they spot an old friend arriving at the dock, Kimar Brynn. Kimar is a bounty hunter and trusted agent of the Earl of Tormau.

The disguises the party is using are near perfect; he walks past them without any hint of recognition. Cautiously, they watch him, checking that he is alone or not being followed. He soon meets with a dark-haired man, and together they soon start searching the streets for someone. Yureb hears that the men are discretely speaking Elven.

Yureb prepares a note, saying if you want to meet with us, tie your shoelaces. He sneaks up onto Kimar, and slips it into his heavy leather jacket. When Kimar finds the note, he ties his shoelaces and says loudly that he will make his way to the Bargepath Tavern wherein he meets with the heroes in a discrete cabin.

Pengellaure, art by Obsidian

He introduces his companion Pengellaure. The dark-haired man first looks human, but as if a veil has been lifted, suddenly appears an elf. Elves have the almost supernatural ability to pass as humans. Pengellaure needs urgent help and the heroes come highly recommended.

Pengellaure is the founder of a secret brotherhood of Rangers, the Nithra-Dante, tasked with saving humanity from the Morsindari or Dark Elves. The Nithra-Dante were organizing a new base of operations in Northern Rethem when the ten Rangers, scouting an old Corani era ruin, were killed, skinned, and hung at a crossroads. A warning from the Dark Elves, keep out.

Pengellaure asks the heroes to investigate and quickly deal with the Dark Elf presence. The Rangers were planning to investigate a cave not far from the ruined fort, which contains an underground river. This cave is a Barasi Point or Holy Grove. He believes the three Morsindari are still in the area. Two of them Male Shadow Blades and another a Female Spider Summoner. They are supported by alchemically modified black orcs, several Demons, and many spiders grown to gigantic size.

Athena, as one of the realm's leading nobles, interests him. He would like her support setting up the base of operation after the current civil war is concluded. During this conversation, Quazzy's Warlock patron Desridaen whispers a few snide remarks in her ear. Desridaen, who knew Pengellaure when he was living, is amused at the Elf's known dalliances with attractive human women. He considers him a bit of a drama queen.

Location - Quarien Forest in the Kingdom of Rethem.

Part 2 - The Overrun Fort

The party is willing to help; however, King Chafin's war plans must be delivered to the Earl of Tormau as soon as possible. They decide if this mission takes more than a few days, Lucida is ordered to leave the party and return to Tormau with the vital intelligence.

The heroes successfully sneak up on the fort unobserved. It is a simple ruin, positioned between a steep hill and a small stream. An intact stone bridge provides access. Among the ruins are some of the largest and ugliest Black Orcs the party has seen. These deformed brutes have overgrown muscles, and their eyes have a glaze similar to cataracts, and they walk with a rapid but odd gait. They look and prove to be very dangerous, hitting very hard, and do not appear to feel any pain.

Yureb creates a distraction, posing as a lost fisherman, lures four away, allowing the party to attack the remaining five. The battle is mainly fought on the bridge; as the heroes begin to gain the upper hand, darkness envelopes them. A male Dark Elf appears and strikes from the shadows. Worse, the Orcs are not impeded by the darkness, and the blinded party takes a pounding, but eventually prevails. The Shadow Blade and the Orcs are dispatched just as the four Orcs who were lured away arrive at the fort. These are quickly enchanted by Yureb's Hypnotic Pattern and Quazzy charms two, and the rest are slaughtered.

Part 3 - Giant Spiders

After a quick rest, the heroes locate the nearby cave in which they believe the remaining Dark Elves are hiding. Yureb sneaks in, noting seven giant spiders hanging in the webbing. He is spotted and makes a rapid escape. Soon the Sword Spiders begin to emerge from the cave mouth. Quazzy summons a zone of darkness, tentacles, and cold, creating a bottleneck, weakening and slowing the monstrosities, allowing the party to deal with them individually rather than be swarmed.

To be continued.