Demons Of The Burning Night II: Part Two

General Summary

The characters continue to hug the red wall to their left, keen to keep away from the dark heart of the cursed city. Eventually, the crumbling wall ends in a wide avenue that heads into what appears to have once been a rather large walled estate; the rubble and vine-clad remains of numerous grand homes are dotted around the enclosed grounds. Two children sit in the middle of the cobbled road that leads into the heart of the estate but they seem oblivious to the party. Wary of the illusions, traps and demons that now fill the city, the party press on though Sylke is clearly disturbed by the sight.
Heading deeper into the city, the murk and gloom that fill the air gradually threaten to disorientate the party and concerned that they may get lost, Cherry suggests laying down chalk marks on as many of the intact walls that line their route as possible; a nearby blue-white wall to their right fits the bill perfectly. However as the party gather around the diminutive rogue, Sylke attempts to slip away. Clearly upset by the sight of the two children and with her nerves frayed by the city, her inner demons have got the better of what remains of her self-control. Sprinting back to the children, Sylke is pursued by the rest of the party.
Both "children" claim that a terrible monster killed their friends when they were urged to hide in a "the gardens" by their parents when the city came under attack. The illusion that is masking these two demons lends plausibility to their story and both Sylke and Cran are keen to help; the "children" point away to the north, "… it was so fast! Jeremak was jus' standin' and then he fell over, his head was all red."
Ugnan is clearly furious when he arrives and in tones that the party have never heard before, he unceremoniously dresses down Sylke and Cran before sternly warning the rest of the party. He too is fooled by the illusion that conceals the real identity of the children but he is unmoved by their story of a monster in a garden. Though he too believes their terrifying tale, he urges the party to continue with their first objective, navigating their way to the large palace-like structure away to the northwest.
Moving away from the "children", Cran seems the most affected but somewhat chagrined by the healer's wise words, he too heads away, casting only the occasional glance over his shoulders.
Eventually the companions find the impressive towers of the large dockyard. Searching these quickly, they sort out a defense strategy should they have to retreat; the southern of the two towers is the most easily defended. Though neither of the towers have anything but the remains of a second floor, both ceilings are stable and largely intact. The doors to both towers have long since been destroyed but magic can block the doorway if needed.
An overgrown road leads further north and with no obvious stars or convenient walls to use as markers, the companions decide to follow this. It seems sensible that if the structure they intend to get to is a palace, it would surely be connected to the city via a major thoroughfare?
As they approach a junction, the party become aware that both the left and right hand paths are "blocked" by deep pools of inky blackness, much darker and more intense than the swirling smut and murk that fills the air around them. Stepping away to their left, the party are intent on heading westwards but their path is blocked by an ominous shape that emerges from the blackness. Fully eleven feet tall and wreathed in flame, the demon forbids them to pass. Cran and Sylke both step towards the demon intent on meeting its challenge and though Sylke's speed is enough to allow her to cast her spell before the demon can even draw his sword, the creature is too fast for Cran. Within seconds the huge fighter is dazed and struggling with a crushed helm that surely saved his life from the awful power of the demon's great battle-blade.
The creature is rocked by the assault of the party as they converge on it but it is fearsomely powerful and fast and even with a clutch of powerful weapons at their disposal, the companions are hard pressed. Recovering from his near fatal blow, Cran unsheathes Shieldbreaker …

Report Date

26 Oct 2019

Primary Location

Aranmor