Session 304 - The Evil Physician

General Summary

4^th of Agrazhar 726TR

The Story So Far

The party returns to the City of Tashal, and Dryueh continues investigating the disappearance and murders of an unknown number of elves. They were killed in some foul arcane ritual called the Essence of Sinad, which ages the elf and creates a Potion of Youth.

The ritual requires a skilled physician, and Dryueh's street contacts have reported that a courtesan Dyliss, who works at the Floating World of Three Heavens, has been gossiping that one such physician has been acting suspiciously.

This is the continuation of Session 303 - The Maid of Vareth.

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Location - City of Tashal in the Kingdom of Kaldor.

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Part 1 – Floating World of Three Heavens

Dryueh visits the Floating World of Three Heavens, the only house of the Courtesans Guild in Tashal, to question the courtesan Dyliss. He uses the excuse that he is investigating a rare disease, gets a warm reception from the establishment's owner Madame Myrele of Obelon, and is allowed to speak with Dyliss privately.

Courtesan Dyliss, art by Artbreeder

Dyliss eagerly tells the story of the elderly Physician, Azelinus of Renwick, one of her frequent clients. On one of his visits two months ago, he appeared a changed man, looking decades younger and much more active under the sheets. He put his improved performance into his new medicinal elixir. Dyliss hasn't seen Azelinus in months, and she has heard rumors that he has fled the city. She later confides that he may be on the run, having fallen foul of one of the local Thieves Guild crimes bosses, Perla of Rabeta, owner of the Busted Nut Tavern. Even Madame Myrele pays Peral a cut of her income.

Part 2 - The Physician's Surgery

The party decides to visit the dubious physician's house, which appears deserted. Questioning a neighboring family of dye workers, they learn, after being told in graphic detail of the various lancing of boils the physician performed, that Azelinus had last been seen months ago. Also, they spot several shady-looking characters watching the party with interest. Dryueh, sure they are thieves guild thugs, approaches them and initiates a conversation. Explaining that he is a physician and looking to talk to Azelinus, but he can't be found. They quickly warm to the discussion and tell him that the good physician is behind in rent, and Mistress P (presumably the crime boss Perla of the Busted Nut) is not amused. Azelinus appears to be too enthusiastic with the scalpel, further angering Mistress P. Dryueh to get the thug's tacit approval to enter and search the physician's business.

After picking a relatively complex lock, Dryueh gains access, and Valeria and Rycon sneak in unobserved. The surgery is clean, and nothing suspicious besides a collection of crude anatomical drawings is in the bedroom. However, dried blood droplets on the living room and kitchen floor lead to a well-hidden trap door. This is an entry to a belowground stairway with a deadly trap; a series of scythe blades are sent into the ceiling directly above, but they are quickly disabled. This leads to a long stone stairway.

Part 3 - A Mix of Body Parts

The party explores, avoiding another fiendish trap finding a large chamber with a series of prison cells and a large grate on the floor. The cells contain rotting corpses, but they hear a skittering sound from below the grate. Glancing down, Dryueh sees dozens of disembodied hands climbing up and out. Valeria's Animated Assault over the grate considerably chops up many horrifying appendages. The Crawling Hand Swarms are dispatched, but they are frustrating and annoying, poking, prodding, and pushing the heroes.

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The bodies in the cells are missing limbs and organs with all their blood extracted. Dryueh hears movement behind a set of double doors, so the party hides and opens it from a distance using Mage Hand. Busting out is a ghoulish assemblage of mismatched humanoid body parts stitched together into a horrifying form, a Flesh Golem. The angry monster stalks into the room, glances about, spotting the Dryueh, and charges. It clumsily whacks him, but the agile Dryueh dodges. The monster is eventually cut to pieces by the hero's blades, although Valeria nearly ruins everything when she shocks the golem with an Electric Arc.

Part 4 - The Office

Avoiding another blade trap, Dryueh finds the physician's study, a room containing a desk, pages of notes, and a large vat filled with still-fluid blood. He also notes a trip wire. Suddenly the vat of blood explodes, and large blobs of foul sanguine fluid attack. The Blood Oozes set off the trap and a poisonous cloud of hallucinations blasts Rycon and Dryueh. Fortunately, the heroes keep a clear head and destroy the oozes, but it is messy.

Scrutinizing Azelinus's office, the party finds more anatomy sketching, research papers on the circulatory system, and elven physiology. He has dozens of pages of notes on golem creation. Many suggest that he had an insane plan to transfer his brain or head into a golem's body. Still, this bizarre concept had been abandoned about seven years ago after meeting a mysterious wizard who he referred to by the symbol "I." "We have a far better option available to us," he annotates in his notes.

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Myrele of Obelon - Owner of the Floating World of Three Heavens.

Dyliss - Courtesan.

Thieves Guild Thugs - Rufus and Jeloer.

Challenges

2 x Crawling Hand Swarms.

1 x Flesh Golem.

2 x Blood Ooze and traps

Rewards

Nothing this week.

Created Content

Nothing this week.

Related Reports

Essence of Sinad.

Player Characters

The characters gained a level.

Valeria - Human Magical Experiment - L6 Shadow Sorcerer - Beastmaster.

Rycon - Human Rebel Knight - L6 Fighter - Liberator Champion.

Dryueh - 1/2 Elf Scout - L6 Thief Rogue - Vigilante/Medic.

Next Session

Session 306 - The Assembly of Knights.

Campaign

Legacy of the Foulspawner - Campain Complete

Protagonists

Rycon

Dryueh

Valeria

Report Date

14 Aug 2023

Primary Location

City of Tashal