Session5

Subject: Roleplay: Book Deal (part 4)

Journal Entry (night at Falash's Manor) Well I guess you can tell from this entry that I made it through the night. The enemy was met and we won, but it seems that luck caused us to succeed more than anything else. If we hadn't met the priest earlier today, I doubt that Ghel or I would be alive, and still I wonder if one of those things are out there waiting for us to make a mistake. But I am getting to far ahead. When I last wrote we were leaving the pool in pursuit of a cimminon smell which we thought might be associated with the killers. We had searched most of the building, except for the rooms where we were supposed to be lodged. We headed towards the guest rooms. We broke into 3 groups. Karn and I checked one room while Ghel and Joseph checked another. Terramill stayed outside and watched the entryway to make sure nothing entered or exited while we conducted our search. We found nothing of major importance in the rooms, but while we were searching someone surprised Terramill and we found him sprawled out in the hallway bleeding heavily. He was surrounded by the smell of cinnamon Karncalore stopped the bleeding while the rest of us looke d for the source of the cinnamon smell. Ghel went to get the priest, still swimming in the pool. At the same time, Joseph and I carried Terramill to a nearby room and placed him in the bed. In the room, Joseph and I smelled cinnamon. It was very strong and seemed to becoming from every direction. We called out for the others while Joseph tried to pin down the source of the smell magically. But as suddenly as it came, it was gone. Karn came in, then Ghel came dragging Harold with him. After Ghel made some threats to Harold, Herald attempted to heal Terramill, but when people realized his spells weren't working, he broke down and admitted that he had long ago lost his faith in the Lord. Joseph stayed to protect Harold and Terramill, and the rest of us went after the source of the cinnamon smell. I didn't want to leave them alone, but Ghel wanted to warn Lord Winsworth. I reluctantly agreed, hoping to do it quickly and ask Lord Winsworth and his men to join Joseph. Karn lead the way using magic to track all the living creatures in the house. He managed to detect two new living creatures near the Count's hiding place. When we checked on the count and his maids we found them talking with the countess. It seemed that the Countess was hiding in the dining area, later Terramill was able to confirm her story. She had apparently slipped after us into the kitchen areas, and passed us while we were in a side room. When she got bored she came to the Count. How she knew where to find him was something I forgot to ask. Anyway, Ghel and I headed towards Lord Winsworth while Karn stayed and tried to cast the detect life spell again. Once Lord Winsworth opened the door, Karn yelled out that he had detected some strange lifesigns to the south. We quickly told Lord Winsworth to go join Joseph and to bring anything he found. Then we quickly headed south. We entered the atrium and saw that only a few torches were still lit, leaving the center of the room dark. Ghel and I went to pickup some torches while Karn cast his spell again. When we returned to Karn, he sensed a living thing in the center of the room. I throw my torch in that direction and saw a suit of armor lope into the shadows. I ran defense while Karn and Ghel tried to set up a defense. After a few minutes Ghel, now much bigger, came forward to help attack the animated armor while I took the opportunity to attack the suit of armor from behind. Karn also enlarged me so I outweighed the armor by several hundred pounds. I tried to hit it from behind, but it spun suddenly and grabbed my arm in a grip that was like banded steel. Luckily, Ghel chose this moment to knock it upside the head, otherwise I would be writing this left handed. When Ghel had off-balanced the creature I was able to pull away from it, but it took the opportunity to grab Ghel, and lifted him off the floor. Ghel was immobilized and the demon kept a pillar between it and me. Karn tried shooting it, but nothing he did seemed to affect the creature. His blows slid off the creature as if it were made of mist. Ghel realized that when the priest dispelled the charm spells, he must have taken the opportunity to bless us. Whatever we were fighting was immune to normal weapons, but being blessed we had the ability to hurt it. Ghel yelled this to me and I attacked the creature from behind while Ghel kicked it in the chest with both legs. Ghel went sprawling as the creature was knocked over backward. The creature turned it motion into a back flip and landed catlike behind me. I spun and continue to attack it but I was mostly unsuccessful until the creature tries to bite off my head. I managed to impale its head on my sword and Ghel took the opportunity to finish the creature off in a flash of brilliant light. Soon after we finished off the demon Joseph and the others joined us. Joseph came to warn that the killer might have been summoned and immune to our weapons. We explained about our blessings, and asked how Terramill had been fixed. Apparently Joseph was able to give the priest enough faith to reattain his link with god. The priest had immediately healed Terramill and then blessed the group every way he could. The group had rushed down, not knowing that the others were already blessed. Lord Winsworth had found books in the Library on demonology and human sacrifice. Apparently Falash was dabbling in demonology, but from what the group saw, he was pretty successful for a self taught demonologist. While we discussed the implication of this Terramill worked on unlocking the door. It took him a while, but he seemed to get it after some time. Ghel was able to provide a tool capable of opening the lock once Terramill had picked it. Terramill's simple tools were no match for the heavily constructed lock. Inside the door we were confronted with Lord Falash and two others in the midst of a summoning ceremony. A large horned creature was slowly solidifying in a pentagram etched in fresh blood (armthrowers?) Lord Falash was dressed as a high priest, and his two companions appeared to be warped creations that resembled humans. Ghel used his lead arrows to good effect to distract Lord Falash and one of the creatures facing us. Karn helped him, and between the two of them they were able to disrupt the summoning. The remaining guards and I charged the remaining spellcaster. The creature I was rushing disappeared before I could reach him. He was smaller than the others and resembled a shrunken man except for the horns sprouting from his forehead. Falash broke and ran, while the remaining spellcaster began growing until he loomed over us. His head brushing the ceiling high overhead. The guards surrounded the creature and Karn seemed to be providing magical support so I tried to cut off Lord Falash by cutting across the pentagram. In retrospect it was probably a bad idea. The moment I stepped into the pentagram flames liked up to the ceiling and sealed me in. It was blinding inside, but I could see a form materializing before me. He was small. I towered over him, but he seemed completely unintimidated by me. Before I could do anything I found myself enveloped in flames. I managed to avoid most of the fire, and I quickly went out. About this time I saw a body fall into the pentagram near me. The body was totally enveloped in flames and fell dead within moments. This gave me the idea to try and knock the demon out of the ring. I charged the demon and caught it by surprise. (perhaps it thought me dead?) I knocked the demon out through the flaming inferno surrounding us. But the demon slid through the fire effortlessly and sprung back at me with the force of a sledgehammer. I almost blacked out, but I managed to claw my way out from underneath the demon. From outside my prison there was a flash of light that pierced even the flames. Knowing that the battle was going well out there I turned back to my advisory, but he just grinned and faded away. I paced the pentagram looking for a way out, but the fires reached the ceiling, and one look at the burnt corpse discouraged any rash moves. I checked the body and discovered that it was one of Winsworth's guards. I muttered a warriors prayer and went back to pacing the circle noticing that it seemed to be slowly growing smaller. I was soaked by sweat by this point. And a cool breeze alerted me to an opening in the flames. I turned and saw Joseph and a priest standing together behind an opening through the flames. I ran through the opening even as another form dove into the flames from the other side. I made it through the opening, but the other form hit the fire and burst into flames. It seems that Falash decided to plunge himself into the flames rather then be captured alive. Later I was to learn that Ghel and Joseph had captured Lord Falash by an satanic altar. Joseph burned down the altar and Ghel brought Lord Falash back for Terramill to watch. At the same time, the guards, Karn, Terramill, and Harold were fighting the other demon. It grew to at least 15' tall. The flaming body that I saw was one of the guards that was hit by the demon creature. Terramill was throwing daggers at it (I wonder what else he is good at?), Harold was healing the others, and Karn was enlarging everyone but himself. Once Ghel joined in the fight, it was quickly ended. But before the fighting finished, Joseph detected magic on Lord Falash and told him to drop all spells and he did. Right after the bright flash of light, Lord Falash dashed into the wall of fire, nearly dragging Terramill with him. I wonder why he killed himself? Something also odd was Ghel going into the fire from the hole that I got out from. He claimed he didn't want Lord Falash to die, so he dashed in to save him, but seeing that he was beyond saving and that the hole was closing, Ghel dashed back out. Now why would he want to save someone so evil? With all this done, everyone else was found to be safe and Lord Winsworth had his mages and clerics clear the place of anything else evil. And as a thanks to Ghel for untying him, Lord Winsworth gave his father's sword to Ghel and Joseph checked it to be magical. How come I don't get anything, I was the one who nearly got killed, while Ghel was untouched, maybe I can ask Lord Winsworth if one of his mages can enchant my weapon or maybe let me take some plate armor or both. Yes that sounds good, and I think the others might think this is good too. One final note, who was that bitch that was killed and who wrote that letter? And what happened to that demon that disappeared. Joseph claimed that when he forced Lord Falash to drop the spells, the demon disappeared, meaning that it was Lord Falash who was keeping the demon in this world. Now I don't know how true that is, maybe I'll get some books on summoning demons from Haven (whenever we get there) and read about it. We will have enough time for that later. ----------------------- GM SECTION ------------------- Base Experience 300 Points Awards Joseph +200 points for helping the priest and gaining an ally. Lando +100 points for a summary. Nice and early, but not very developed in sections. I think the summary will get less experience than it has been getting. But I appreciate your time and effort. GM Notes: The Sword was given to Ghel to use for the group. The group was also promised any items that could be recovered from the manor by the guards and the priests. More details on that at next session. The Items: Was there anything else you guys kept? Write me privately.... __ /__) Adventure one: "Book Deal" || /8xxxxx8===============================\ \8xxxxx8===============================/ ||__ \__)