Session 232 - Frozen Battle
General Summary
13th Morgat (Third month of Winter) 724TR
The story so far
The infamous Word of Tekhos, a scroll believed to rip the soul from a person when their name is written on it, has been stolen. The thief is the renegade necromancer Win-Noora and her bodyguard Ketan the Impaler.
The heroes have tracked the thieves to a small fishing village hiding out on a riverboat. Once the cold weather improves they will probably escape.
This is the continuation of Session 230 - The Guardian.
Location - Village of Bidezz in the Shiran Province of the Thardic Republic.
Part 1 - The Plan
With their targets so close, the heroes devise a cunning plan. They will wait until one of the four guards emerges from the vessel, go on land shopping for food and supplies, then ambush him. They would like to poison their food, but unfortunately, the heroes have no such skill.
Acheron intercepts the guard but, at the last second, decides to change the plan and take the appearance of renegade necromancer Win-Noora. It does not go well. The man had spoken with this woman less than a minute ago and is not fooled by this clumsy deception. He shouts an alarm, the surprise is lost, and the battle is on.
Part 2 - Battle on the Wharf
Monnpenny immediately turns Blaine, herself, and Acheron Invisible while Avon sneaks under the pier moving along the ice undetected. Acheron attacks the guard while the men on the vessel approach. The guard is killed by Acheron and Avon who strikes from below through the gaps in the pier's planks. Acheron conjures Darkness around him and closes on the approaching, now confused, men.
Jolanta uses the Staff of Cryptan Seaweave to create a whirlpool, hoping to sink the riverboat. Unfortunately, the icy shell of the river resists. As the ice begins to crack, the vessel's occupants, Win-Noora, and her bodyguard have enough time to leap off quickly. Jolanta cancels the spell before the boat is submerged. The gladiator's enchanted ring flares, and his blood runs ominously down the shaft and head of his spear.
Ketan approaches and is quickly entrapped in Acheron's darkness. Not fazed, he strikes with uncanny accuracy and nearly removes Acheron from the fight. The blood running down his spear solidifies and pins Acheron in place. Acheron Misty Steps out to avoid certain death. Then Jolanta strikes after neutralizing several of Win-Noora's most dangerous evocations with Counterspells, then traps Ketan in a Mental Prison. The helpless gladiator is a perfect target for Avon's precision strikes with his rapier. When he eventually breaks free, he is dazed, badly injured, and quickly killed.
Still wreathed in darkness, Acheron attacks Win-Noora, now effectively blind, using all of his Holy Smites. She is badly hurt; however, Jolanta cannot see her to finish her off.
Part 3 - Escape?
Win-Noora decides to Dimension Door away. The heroes are initially unsure where she went; nevertheless, Avon and Blaine quickly circle the village and find her tracks West in the snow. The party race after catching up with her a few miles outside the village.
The panicked necromancer responds with several fiery bloody blasts but is cut down by Jolanta's most potent magic. Jolanta scratches off one more rogue mage from the List of Renegade Spellcasters.
Part 4 - The Word of Tekhos
The characters loot the dead. On Win-Noora's corpse, they find a silver cylinder. Strange black symbols have discolored its surface as if they were trying to corrode their way through. The symbols resemble the Ormauk script, the secret language of the Church of Morgath.
Acheron detects a nearly contained great evil emanating from this cylinder. It must hold the Word of Tehkos.
NPC Interactions
Only a few peasants watched the early stage of the battle before fleeing.
Challenges Overcome
Destroyed 4 x Veterans, 1 x Elite Gladiator, and 1 x Blood Sorcerer.
Rewards
The characters looted the dead bodies and the ship finding some gems and luxury goods.
Created Content
Nothing.
Related Reports
List of Renegade Spellcasters - Updated.
Player Character Status
Acheron- Human - Level 6 Devotion Paladin, Level 4 Hexblade, and Level 3 Divine Soul.
Jolanta - Human- Level 13 Evoker.
Avon- Half-Elf - Level 13 Thief.
Avon
Jolanta
Acheron
NPC Companions
Moneypenny
Avon's able assistant
Blaine
Jolanta's loyal and often drunk bodyguard.
The Staff of Cryptan Seaweave
An old staff, crafted to look like it is warped in seaweed with bits of fishbone sticking out of it.
Lore
The Wizard-King Cryptan Seaweave ruled the petty Kingdom of Eldersharn on Melderyn's northeast coast during Melderyn's Eldritch Period.
He was obsessed with freeing the trapped sea god Eder from his imprisonment and created many artifacts, including this staff, to aid in his objective. All his efforts failed.
A cabal of wizards eventually undermined his rule and created an uprising. He was sent into exile, never to be seen again.
Properties
You can Walk on Water while holding this staff.
The staff has 10 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC.
Dominate Monster (Water Elementals only) (3 charges)
Create or Destroy Water (1 charge)
Ice Storm (3 charges)
Control Water (3 charges)
Water Breathing (2 charges)
Chromatic Orb (cold only) (1 charge).
The staff regains 1d4 expended charges daily at dawn.
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