Ashe C2 Episode 78 - The Hunt for Dark Wess
Previously on Liters of Tomorrow...
As the airship entered the airspace of the great city of Stoneport, Rango noticed a member of the Stila Guard and a minister motioning for you to park the ship over the South gate tower. You immediately ignored this summons and landed the airship at the Delacus Docks hovering just a meter above the water next to the HSP Hammerhead. The sailors and dockworkers stared at the incredible device and watched as you disembarked into the city.
Following Remy and his band to the Hornush Hall & Tavern you immediately ordered drinks. Nuth demanded a shot contest as Remy and the Band tuned up for the show. After Nuth inevitably lost the contest and wobbled on his bar stool, you were approached by an elderly Goliath man named Roccan Crush. He said that he was a friend of Cog's from the old days and offered you rooms at his home, the Golsten Stein.
Finn noticed an old friend lurking in the corner of the tavern, the Astromancer Archamemenon. The corruption has now covered his left arm completeley and has moved into his left eye. He went invisible and then accosted Nuth who he blamed for recklessly leaving him for dead in the river after the bridge explosion in Warshaw.
Finn and Mausim stepped in to cool the situation and Archos quickly pivoted into a more genial demeanor. After a night of good drinks and stories from the amiable Roccan Crush you went to the Golsten Stein to settle in for the night. The massive building has been converted into an impressive library. Finn immediately began to peruse the books looking for information on the strange warforged man known as Cog.
Mausim and Crashe listened to stories about the famous demigod Blizzard Hops and Remy and Rango began to explore the space. A book not far from Finn's hand began to chitter and move, It leapt out of the bookcase and fired a pseudopod into Nuth's chest puncturing his lung. More books, tables, lamps and chairs leapt onto the floor and changed into toothy maws with grabbing pseudopods. You soon found yourselves surrounded.
Instead of helping to fight the threat, Archos instead attacked Nuth, Rango and Finn. He seemed to vacillate between himself and a darkside depending on the moment. Upstairs an arrow whizzed past Mausim's knee. The figure known as Dark Wess stood outside in his raven mask knocking more arrows. The friendly Roccan Crush transformed into a massive creature with a viscous outer covering and glowing red eyes.
The trap had been triggered. An energy field sealed the windows and doors on the inside. As Dark Wess fired dangerous arrows from the outside the creatures attacked. Rango worked to get everyone upstairs away from the dozens of mimics that were quickly filling up the lower floors.
Crashe lost control and gave way to a cowardly Bon Vee. With efforts concentrated on the massive Venom like creature on the main floor, he eventually was felled with a Nuth Fireball. Seeing the tide turning Dark Wess took off down the Stoneport streets. The purple tinged energy field remains and the squishy sounds of dozens of mimics begins to echo from the staircase, What do you do?
As the airship entered the airspace of the great city of Stoneport, Rango noticed a member of the Stila Guard and a minister motioning for you to park the ship over the South gate tower. You immediately ignored this summons and landed the airship at the Delacus Docks hovering just a meter above the water next to the HSP Hammerhead. The sailors and dockworkers stared at the incredible device and watched as you disembarked into the city.
Following Remy and his band to the Hornush Hall & Tavern you immediately ordered drinks. Nuth demanded a shot contest as Remy and the Band tuned up for the show. After Nuth inevitably lost the contest and wobbled on his bar stool, you were approached by an elderly Goliath man named Roccan Crush. He said that he was a friend of Cog's from the old days and offered you rooms at his home, the Golsten Stein.
Finn noticed an old friend lurking in the corner of the tavern, the Astromancer Archamemenon. The corruption has now covered his left arm completeley and has moved into his left eye. He went invisible and then accosted Nuth who he blamed for recklessly leaving him for dead in the river after the bridge explosion in Warshaw.
Finn and Mausim stepped in to cool the situation and Archos quickly pivoted into a more genial demeanor. After a night of good drinks and stories from the amiable Roccan Crush you went to the Golsten Stein to settle in for the night. The massive building has been converted into an impressive library. Finn immediately began to peruse the books looking for information on the strange warforged man known as Cog.
Mausim and Crashe listened to stories about the famous demigod Blizzard Hops and Remy and Rango began to explore the space. A book not far from Finn's hand began to chitter and move, It leapt out of the bookcase and fired a pseudopod into Nuth's chest puncturing his lung. More books, tables, lamps and chairs leapt onto the floor and changed into toothy maws with grabbing pseudopods. You soon found yourselves surrounded.
Instead of helping to fight the threat, Archos instead attacked Nuth, Rango and Finn. He seemed to vacillate between himself and a darkside depending on the moment. Upstairs an arrow whizzed past Mausim's knee. The figure known as Dark Wess stood outside in his raven mask knocking more arrows. The friendly Roccan Crush transformed into a massive creature with a viscous outer covering and glowing red eyes.
The trap had been triggered. An energy field sealed the windows and doors on the inside. As Dark Wess fired dangerous arrows from the outside the creatures attacked. Rango worked to get everyone upstairs away from the dozens of mimics that were quickly filling up the lower floors.
Crashe lost control and gave way to a cowardly Bon Vee. With efforts concentrated on the massive Venom like creature on the main floor, he eventually was felled with a Nuth Fireball. Seeing the tide turning Dark Wess took off down the Stoneport streets. The purple tinged energy field remains and the squishy sounds of dozens of mimics begins to echo from the staircase, What do you do?
Plot points/Scenes
The Trap
A visible purple magic field now can be seen in every window and door. It doesn't let anything pass through from the inside. Outside anyone looking sees that it's not just one Wess but now five as they take off in different directions down the many streets of Stoneport.
The magic field can be disrupted by cold damage. Especially Nuth's Snilloc's snowballs.
Snilloc's Snowballs - A flurry of magic snowballs erupts from a point you choose within range. Each creature in a 5-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Casting this on a doorway or window will create a disruption of one round allowing someone to pass through.
The Mimiccans attack and seem to appear all over. More and more will begin to form out of the furniture of the Golsten Stein. Use the stat blocks of a mimic but dial up the AC and the HP as well as the damage.
You all stand in the living room of the Golsten Stein, the portion of the massive building that leads out to the streets of Stoneport. The floor below you now churns with the sound of dozens of toothy, slimy creatures that are slowly moving up the stairs. From out of the main window you see the purple cloak of Dark Wess catch in the wind of the warm summer night. A purple tinge to the glass tells you that the magic field is still operable and preventing your escape.
Perception Checks
DC 15-19 or higher - You follow the figure of Wess as he splits into five different figures. Each running down a different street that lead from the Stein into Stoneport like spokes on a wheel.
DC 20 or higher - You notice that each one is slightly different, Wess didn't duplicate but he has accomplices to help him escape into the city. Each of them looks back to see if anyone is on their tail.
Arcana Checks -
DC 15-18 - The weaves behind this field function much like the shield spell, semi permeable. Anything moving from the outside can pass through, anything coming from the inside is blocked.
Dc 18-21 - The field is incredibly strong though, and especially attuned to evocation spells. It absorbs the energy of the weaves and dissipates it throughout the massive field that encompasses the entire building.
DC 21 - higher - You study the field and begin to see different strands of the weave. You determine that it seems to be weaker to cold damage. Probably not a high powered continual blast of magical cold energy, but a spell that fired short bursts of random cold damage might create an opening for a round or two.
Once the team escapes the Stein they must split up and hunt down the Wess'. Anyone who succeeded on their perception checks can remember the five street names and hunt down a Wess duplicate. All of these are Nachamen created by Lord Darkhorse, when they are found they will attack with deadly force.
A visible purple magic field now can be seen in every window and door. It doesn't let anything pass through from the inside. Outside anyone looking sees that it's not just one Wess but now five as they take off in different directions down the many streets of Stoneport.
The magic field can be disrupted by cold damage. Especially Nuth's Snilloc's snowballs.
Snilloc's Snowballs - A flurry of magic snowballs erupts from a point you choose within range. Each creature in a 5-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Casting this on a doorway or window will create a disruption of one round allowing someone to pass through.
The Mimiccans attack and seem to appear all over. More and more will begin to form out of the furniture of the Golsten Stein. Use the stat blocks of a mimic but dial up the AC and the HP as well as the damage.
START HERE:
You all stand in the living room of the Golsten Stein, the portion of the massive building that leads out to the streets of Stoneport. The floor below you now churns with the sound of dozens of toothy, slimy creatures that are slowly moving up the stairs. From out of the main window you see the purple cloak of Dark Wess catch in the wind of the warm summer night. A purple tinge to the glass tells you that the magic field is still operable and preventing your escape.
Perception Checks
DC 15-19 or higher - You follow the figure of Wess as he splits into five different figures. Each running down a different street that lead from the Stein into Stoneport like spokes on a wheel.
DC 20 or higher - You notice that each one is slightly different, Wess didn't duplicate but he has accomplices to help him escape into the city. Each of them looks back to see if anyone is on their tail.
Arcana Checks -
DC 15-18 - The weaves behind this field function much like the shield spell, semi permeable. Anything moving from the outside can pass through, anything coming from the inside is blocked.
Dc 18-21 - The field is incredibly strong though, and especially attuned to evocation spells. It absorbs the energy of the weaves and dissipates it throughout the massive field that encompasses the entire building.
DC 21 - higher - You study the field and begin to see different strands of the weave. You determine that it seems to be weaker to cold damage. Probably not a high powered continual blast of magical cold energy, but a spell that fired short bursts of random cold damage might create an opening for a round or two.
Once the team escapes the Stein they must split up and hunt down the Wess'. Anyone who succeeded on their perception checks can remember the five street names and hunt down a Wess duplicate. All of these are Nachamen created by Lord Darkhorse, when they are found they will attack with deadly force.
Themes
Underwharf and dealing with Vom Fass
Next the team must travel into the Underwharf to find the great dragon Vom Fass. If the players are wary of heading back into the Golsten Stein they must find an alternate way in. Asking any friendly NPC for help will lead them to ...Calephon’s Pub - Run by a Green elf named Deb Gavanfoote she employs a young human woman named Rhonda Travenskill who works as a waitress.
Secretly Deb keeps track of everyone in the populous horne for the Hare’s Catch.
Insidious Beguiling
As they search the area of Underwharf trying to determine where a dragon and his hoard may be hiding they will be approached by a strange hooded figure. If a player moves about on their own he will approach them offering help.
As the figure draws back it's hood you see that it is a mind flayer, similar looking to the one you saw in Copenhaus. That particular one almost tore off the back of Mausim's head to devour his brain. He looks at you and tilts his head and draws back his eyelids in a friendly manner.
"Ah, by the expressions on your faces I see that you have dealt with someone like me before. Let me assure you I am very different from most of my kind. I have lived here in the Underwharf for 40 years. I keep to myself and enjoy dealing in oddities and strange enchanted goods. "
[DM Note: need to have some magic items on offer, have some mana potions and other odds and ends ready.]
When the players tell him of their need to find Vom Fass he will respond with some options.
"Ha! the great dragon himself. Would you like to know what he really is? I know, for I was there. When he first came to Underwharf with his friends, his team."
He makes a noise that you assume is like a chuckle but sounds more like wheezing balloon.
"The great pretender, the great fraud that is the great dragon Vom Fass." As the players question him he recalls the day over thirty years ago where Vom Fass and his friends ventured into Underwharf.
The team were looking for a way into the Grey Compound at the time. They were searching for the Gem of Amara, a powerful tesseract, a way to combat the threat of Anaxis. He explains that Vom Fass was no creature of great importance, not a powerful draconic sorceror. He was blue kobold and could barely contain the magicks that he wielded. He was a fool who acted quickly and often got his friends hurt in the process. After they found the Gem of Amara Vom Fass was stupid enough to get pulled inside and his friends had to go in and rescue him.
Insidious Beguiling offers to help them find Vom Fass and negotiate with him. He says that they have little chance of taking one of his prize possessions. For the statue is an arcane focus as well. A powerful artifiact that helps Vom Fass maintain his dragon form. He will not part with it.
"But! I offer you a solution. A simple one as well..."
He produces a shard of crystal that is dark purple and has smaller splinters of shard rock embedded within. It has a small handle on the bottom wrapped in black leather.
"This shard is the solution to your problem. In the Dark Crystal tavern not far from here resides an ancient crystal obelisk. It floats there unchanged for 7000 years. The only time it was ever disrupted was when Vom Fass touched it all those years ago. It moved one inch but that was enough to terrify underwharf for years. At the top of the crystal is an indentation in the shape of this shard. Drive this shard into the crystal and it will remove Vom Fass's powers for one hour. That should be enough time for you to take the item you need and get to your airship. Do it stealthily enough and Vom Fass will never know you were there."
"What do I get out of this? Almost nothing to you, but there is a magic user in the underwharf that I have been unable to eliminate. In that one hour period I will be able to ... remove him from the board, permanently. You get what you want and you help me complete a business transaction. We never have to see each other again."
[DM Note: If they players attack Insidious Beguiling he will summon his Draegoloth. A Drow creature from the underdark that he has kept as a pet for decades. Upgrade the stats give it 3X attacks and +9 to hit.]
Structure
Exposition
The Dragon's Hoard
The great Hoard of Vom Fass looks less like a pile of treasure and more like a Wizard's Trophy room. Glass cases hold valuable baubles, works of art, and magic items.
Vom Fass's assistant / Docent
A Gnome scurries out from behind an ornate desk. The desk is piled with rolled parchment, books, stacks of yellowed paper and writing supplies. He has greying, brown hair that is piled on top of his head and glasses with small glasses perched on top of the frame Bierkrug Humpen is a Gnome who is also Vom Fass posing as a Gnome
A Gnome scurries out from behind an ornate desk. The desk is piled with rolled parchment, books, stacks of yellowed paper and writing supplies. He has greying, brown hair that is piled on top of his head and glasses with small glasses perched on top of the frame Bierkrug Humpen is a Gnome who is also Vom Fass posing as a Gnome
Crew of the Prometheus:
- Navigator - Mevi Flashfoot, halfling woman
- Pilot - Mike's Character, Half elven man with the mark of the Dragon. recruited
- Cook - Pelly Portnut, half orc man with a large belly and a topknot of black hair. recruited
- Engineer - Gnome man by the name of Zumf "Tumtum" Brushnickel
- Assistant engineer - Firbolg woman named Sippi Cashelhorne
- Squabbie - Halfling man by the name of Nock "Gaffer" Littlefoot. recruited
- Ground Crew - Alexi Brighthammer, Dwarven artificer *Note still technically employed by Anak Kovara
- Ground Crew - Casilium Bex - Half elven woman with a half shaved head.
Related Characters
Related Locations
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