Dramatis Personae
Beltin (Aasimar Dirge Bard/Cleric 9).
Bradley Weatherby (Human Dervish Dancer 9/Knife Master Rogue 7/Duelist 2).
Johann Kressmann (Hobgoblin Barbarian/Paladin 9). ABSENT PLAYER
Veldi (Drow Oracle/Sorcerer 9).
"Jake" (Human? Wizard/Rogue 9). Still unsure on race and name because I'm a bad DM.
Phox's replacement, otherwise known as the PC that will probably be dead before the end of session 10 (Human? Sorcerer (Sage)/Wizard 9). Unsure of name and race as player kept the sheet to finalize for next session, but given the lessons history has taught us, it may soon become unimportant. Anyway, Phox 2 is a freelance wizard that is mere months away from his retirement. In order to get the mad moniz before that he has decided to come to the Desolation and join in the big adventuring boom in the area. He will probably be retiring earlier than he expected to his, and only his, surprise. But who knows, he may go the distance and live his twilight years on the beach somewhere... Nah, he's totally screwed.
Unnamed future BW victim (Human Fighter/Rogue/Shadowdancer/Something 9). A temporary character for a temporary player who was invited to join in because Johann's dude was indisposed at game time. Originally wanted to play a Kender (because he's that guy) but decided not to after the Camp is the kind of place where normal citizens torture and murder people who steal from them. Decided to make a human and DM provided why he was there to fit him in quickly and easily. He's a freelancer from Bard's Gate sent by a client to acquire a certain Dwarven artifact that is supposed to be in a subterranean command post used during the war; a command post that is now the home of a nest of horrifying arachnid horrors! Dun dun dun.
Desert walking simulator, Session 9.1 - 7/5/14
Day 11 still. The the girl from the tavern tries to embrace her hero, BW, while the rest of the party and the bloodthirsty crowd watches on. Seeing the violence is over, the crowd begins to go back to their business, but BW has had enough. He tells the girl to relax and let it happen, Charm Monsters her again, and tells her she is nothing to him, never was and never will be, and to get the fuck out of his face.
She seems confused for a second, as if trying to get the joke. Then there is a couple seconds of stunned disbelief. And then she runs away crying. BW seems satisfied that she won't bother him again, so the party heads back into the Sip of Blood to continue planning. So they are down a man now... Going recruiting says Yohann and he heads out to do so. Great, says the rest of the party, so about dem rangers. Lucky tells them that Skeriber and his rangers just got back from some long excursion into the wastes; in fact the majority, including Skeriber, had been out for the last two weeks or so. Perfect timing, thinks the party, and off they go.
Near one of the Camp's edges they find another shitty shanty looking building like all the rest, but one that actually large and looks fortified against attack. Around it they see a fenced in area with actual green things growing in the Desolation. As they approach the two men in front of the door, rangers by the look of it, ask them their business and get a dodgy response about wanting to know about some spiders, and then BW asks what they are growing.
"Food."
With that curiosity sated, the party is led in to see Skeriber himself. Undead have to wait outside. Inside they find a rather roomy, though shitty living area with several rangers milling about doing various things, seemingly ignoring the newcomers. Sense motive says they are actually paying quite a bit of attention. At the far end of the long room is a desk with three people standing around it and one man sitting behind it; there are no other chairs near it. The man behind it is obviously Skeriber. The four seem to be having an intense, hushed conversation but, of course, BW interrupts and spots a familiar face. Why if it isn't Georgia, one of the rangers who had saved his life. BW expresses how it is a joy to see her again, and with a diplomacy check gets a small smile, which is as much as the situation can afford. The two standing men look at the party impassively, as does Skeriber, but a sense motive check says he doesn't like the party at all. And he is not making much of a show to hide it. Perhaps he knows more about the party then they of him.
The pleasantries end quickly and BW gets down to what he wants. The party wants to find the nest of some spiders and the rangers know where it is. Georgia asks why and BW explains they owe him some money; an obvious lie for people who would obviously expect one anyway. There is a few seconds of silence and then Georgia turns and looks at Skeriber. He doesn't seem to react beyond staring back, but she seems to take it as an affirmative and walks over to a chest in the corner. She returns holding a map with the spider lair marked and the party is allowed to study it, but not take it of course.
A low DC intelligence check is made by those who made their sense motive versus Skeriber; he doesn't like you at all, so as long as you aren't trying to take his people into it, on this occasion he is willing to point you to certain death for free. Well, almost free.
As the party begins to leave (BW does his best to make another good impression on Georgia and does), Skeriber stops him and says they have business in private. BW remains behind. Skeriber reminds BW of his motive for seeking spiders and says that is awfully convenient as someone owes he, Skeriber, money as well. Remember way back in session 2 you got your ass saved by rangers and didn't pay? 500 bits. BW, being the obnoxiously rich type, asks if he would take 2,000 gold instead. Skeriber would and does and then BW is dismissed.
Back at the tavern, the party thinks the ranger meeting went better than expected, though they wouldn't be surprised if they did it just so they knew where they would be for an ambush. Oh well. Yohann shows up with his hand on Phox2's shoulder, pretty much leading him to the party. He announces that this elderly gentleman is a master of the arcane arts and has joined up with the company. And there was much rejoicing as Phox2 joined the party. As he gets acquainted with the rest, Yohann walks down the bar and starts loudly and almost violently soliciting more people to join the cause. You go, Yohann, you may need to conveniently find new recruits for next session.
The party debates the merits of leaving immediately and spending some time in the open at night, which the DM backs out of game, unsurprisingly leading to the motion's defeat (one of these days those fuckers will face some "sunlight powerlessness" badass creatures); they decide they will sleep the night and then head for that peaceful cemetery to rest before hitting the spiders.
Day 12, morning, they are off. They cut off the road almost immediately and begin the long, slow journey ahead. Wooooooo goes the desolate wind. Step step go the feet. "Enjoy the sunburn, assholes," the sun would say if it could speak. But what does the monster say?
"..."
No encounters... at least yet. Veldi begins to think everyone has just been overstating the Desolation. I mean, come on, it's just a desert. BW tries to explain how it's an awful, awful place where everything wants you dead, but she seems unconvinced. And then through the haze of sun and powdered bone, the party sees a large group a ways off, just standing, swaying slightly, in the desert. Veldi makes the perception check to notice them while Beltin fails. The way they move gives it away: Undead. Lots of them. But they don't appear to have noticed them yet and they seem inclined to stay or meander if their small area, so the party sets off around them, keeping an eye out. It seems as though eventually the group begins to notice and slowly starts moving in the party's direction, but as the party quickens the pace they seem to lose interest and go back to their pointless, unmoving vigil.
So they're walking and talking, and hey is that a survival check ahead? No, never mind it's just some quick sand, about a 30 foot across patch. As the party saw it before they stepped into it, it's not that big of a deal and they begin to walk around. And that's when they see the glint of sun on steel. On the far side of the patch, mostly submerged in the sand, both quick and regular, the party sees bits of weapons sticking out like someone brought a weapon rack here and knocked it over long ago. Sensing the possibility for loot, the party mages start mage handing one out. It meets resistance at first but then it comes easy. Too easy. And then it's coming on its own along with many more of its friends. The weapons rise and begin to swirl around as if in some kind of whirlwind, ready to slice and dice anything stupid or unfortunate enough to be near. A wild Searing Wind ("I dunno, some kind of construct," says the only person who kinda makes the knowledge roll) has appeared! Roll initiative!
The Searing Wind wins initiative and some people and undead start getting sliced. The party is unhappy with this, especially when they speculate it may be some sort of weapon swarm complete with the swarm subtype; they are happy when the person who sorta made the knowledge roll knows that is not the case. Smack go the undead! Its AC is 30 says the DM! Nevermind, it didn't smack, says Beltin and Veldi! Undead bat swarms go! Oh it has Dr 10? Fffffff. The high AC and DR only protects it for so long, but after slicing and dicing mostly everyone at least once (and sometimes twice), it begins to show signs of not being well, as the weapons begin to chip and rust and then eventually corrode into more dust coating the party: It's only recognizable as different than the inescapable bone of the Ashen Wastes due to the reddish tint. The DM considers a roll versus tetanus but decides against it. Yay, no loot!
Soon after, it is approaching dusk, but in the distance the party sees the border fence and the monuments of the cemetery beyond. They approach the area of tilled earth around the fence and while in it they begin to fill a rumbling approach! Quickly they step over the fence and get ready, but then nothing. Huh, that was weird. As soon as they step inside everyone feels just ever so slightly safer, though Jake notices signs of some sort of magical battle here not long ago. This feeling of well being intensifies as they move inward toward the fountain, well for Jake, Phox2, and Veldi at least. Beltin and BW feel an air of disquiet and anger as they approach the destroyed crusader tents, almost as if something has set its will against them. The new three notice the tents and wonder what happened, but still don't manage to feel unsafe, so the plan to rest there for the night stands. Jake makes some magical accommodations and brings forth his loyal magical hound to stand guard.
The area interests Jake though, so he makes some knowledge checks and remembers hearing about how there are all sorts of monuments in the Ashen Wastes from the Army of Light, created when it seemed that good must obviously triumph over the evil of Tsar, before it became clear that failure was more than a remote possibility. He remembers hearing how a powerful angelic being fell and the ground where he fell was consecrated by his death, leaving behind a small amount of his power and his will to protect. It seems like a good guess to think the cemetery was built on said area to honor him... perhaps the rumbling they felt was some kind of defense mechanism that let them pass.
Day 13. The party sleeps well (or a little fitfully in BW and Beltin's case), but all wake ready to face the exciting, obligatory giant spider adventure ahead. They head south to exit the cemetery the way they came in, but at the fence they see a slightly disturbing sight: Dozens of corpses, broken on the ground in and around the tilled earth, but with none beyond the fence. Pretty sure that wasn't there last night, thinks the party. They look closer and recognize them as undead. The undead they had seen in the distance the day before; they must have been drawn to the sounds of battle with the construct and then just kept walking that direction until whatever happened here happened. The party remembered the rumbling the night before and Jake summons some sheep. He sends one onto the tilled earth.
They hear rumbling approaching and the sheep seems mildly disturbed and then suddenly a giant hand of earth rises from the tilled ground and slams the sheep down, crushing it. What the hell was that, wonders the party as they hear and feel the rumbling move away. Jake commands his other sheep onto the ground and they watch again. Rumble rumble, but instead of a fist, this time the whole body of a gigantic earth elemental rises and smashes the sheep back to nothingness. And now we know, thinks the party, and knowing is half the etc. etc. When the rumbling moves away again they quickly pass the tilled ground and are back into the scenic Desolation, ready for another fun-filled march to "certain" death.
TO BE CONTINUED...
