(G555 30/03/2024 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AL) YI21

 (G555 30/03/2024 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AL) YI21

[Fenrir the Warlock, Giselle the Bard, Corhim the Gnomish Wizard and Dak the half-orc barbarian are inside the Fortress of the Yaun-ti.]

DAY 622 (15th Uktar) (November) cont ...

Having dealt with the ground flower of the Tower of Worlds they headed up the stairs to the next chamber. 

The room had a sloping floor and as they made their way into it two hideous creatures attacked. Each had the body of a worm, the head of a snake and long sinuous arms. Behind them was a scaled figure with serpents for hair.

Dak charged in and attacked the nagas, while Fenrir held back the medusa with a wall of flames. Dak chopped up the nagas handily and Fenrir then blasted the medusa dead.

They continued upwards, up what appeared to be an unnaturally long staircase that took ten minutes to climb. And even when they tried to stick together the strange magic of the stairs strung them out. Suddenly a Flamestrike spell struck them and Giselle was nearly killed. She healed herself and carried on, looking like a burnt offering when she got to the others at the top of the stairs.

The next room was the sacramental chamber. It glowed with the light of demonic fire that seemed to burn the air itself. Three stone biers covered with serpentine imagery stood across the chamber. Two contained bodies in funeral shrouds and the third had carefully arranged yellow bones on it. Three yuan-ti in robes tended the biers, chanting while brass braziers emitted noxious purple smoke.

A fourth yuan-ti was in the centre of the room, a huge monstrously fat monster, with blood bubbling from his eyes and running down his scaly face. It carried a dark steel shield, which carried the symbol of the Forgotten King of Kingsholm.

Corhim cast Stinking Cloud, but it had little affect as the air was already putrid. Giselle started singing. Corhim tried grease, but again there was little affect as the fat yuan-ti had no legs. Dak was nearly overcome by the fumes, but managed to collect himself and attack. Corhim cast haste on him. Between them then, Dak and Fenrir killed the monster and then (somewhat cruelly I thought) killed the three priests who offered no resistance.

I have later learned that the fat yuan-ti was called Sulvaugren, Master of Worlds.

Defeating him triggered a reaction in the chamber, which started to shake and the floor shattered. The central bier broke and exploded, filling the chamber with clouds of dust. As the dust cleared a gaunt humanoid figure was revealed. It had leathery flesh with bone visible through its cracked surface. It carried an ancient bastard sword, its empty eye sockets glowing with gangrenous light.

This was the Risen King. He was protect by some sort of aura that kept Dak at bay for some time, but Fenrir could hurt it. This time it was Giselle that cast Grease but again it had little affect. The Risen King was powerful but as Fenrir blasted it backwards, Dak slowly worked his way into the aura and delivered the final blows to put the King back in his grave.

With this done, the final enemy defeated and the Vanguard's plans in ruins they headed back to the library, but Zoldathra had made himself scarce, probably guessing at their intentions. Corhim grabbed ten books that looked important from the library.

The whole fortress was filling with smoke. Fenrir had used a lot of Walls of Flame and the place was fully on fire now. Once it reached the library the whole place would go up. Coughing and choking on the smoke they headed to the entrance and went over to the village.

As they stood and watched the smoke billowing out of the main door and the tower windows the villagers and escaped slaves began to realise they were free.

Some gathered their possessions immediately and headed off. The main road was thought to be to the east and from there they hoped to find their way home. Corhim handed them all rations from the Provisions Box as they left. This included Daverov the dwarf noble and Maneri the human gallery owner.

The heroes talked to Clara and some of the former slaves said they liked the sound of a tropical island in the Shining Sea and for whatever reason they would like to go there.

Some had no homes to go to, some fancied a fresh start.

The prisoners that wanted to come to the island that had been rescued from the tower itself were:

Selirra - a female elf adept

Aldros - a male commoner

Rollin - a male cowherd

Illria - a female halfling dodger that Dak liked the look of, so much so that he gave her 100 gold to come

Kaleb - a male warrior and drunkard that Dak also took a liking to.

Clara and eleven others also decided to come. A handful of others just looked like nasty bastards and no one wanted them in the island. As with everyone else that wanted to make their own way they were given food, weapons and some gold.

Over the next few days all these people would be teleported back to Yag Island.

DAY 623 (16th Uktar) (November) 

Fenrir with his boots and Irritator teleport back and forth to the Serastis, bringing people to the island.

The others rested.

DAY 624 (17th Uktar) (November) 

Fenrir with his boots and Irritator teleport back and forth to the Serastis, bringing people to the island. 

The others rested.

DAY 625 (18th Uktar) (November) 

The last of the Serastis refugees were teleport back to the Barrow Area on Yag Island.  Lavinia has assigned them an area to set up camp. Luckily there is still lots of canvas and supplies for them.

DAY 626 (19th Uktar) (November) 

Fenrir and Giselle are mainly loafing around in my living room at the moment as their house is being built.

Corhim is studying and Dak is counting his gold.

DAY 627 (20th Uktar) (November) 

In the evening the Heroes of Serastis went to the pub.

Before I finish for now I will record something I have noticed about Corhim. He's a funny little fellow, and I broadly put him in the same category as Dak and Reinward for reasons I am not exactly sure of.

All three of them are driven by avarice, and when together the plot and scheme the best way to spend their gold, the best magical items to buy and that sort of thing.

Corhim is the only one that finds violence distasteful though. While Dak is never happier than when he is burying his blade into an enemies neck and Reinward likes nothing more than throwing daggers into people eyeballs, Corhim tries to never directly harm anyone.

I can understand that ethos, I never like to kill anything or anyone unless I have to. I hope Corhim stays the way he is as someone with all that power, greed and killer instinct would be really dangerous. We've got enough of those around the place as it is!