Thursday, April 5, 2018

Shattered Star - Beyond the Doomsday Door - This is why we can't have nice things

The odor of alcohol permeated the huge room. Several crates, barrels, kegs, and racks for wine filled the room—many of which had been opened, emptied, upturned, and shattered. The party looked around the room and tried to speculate as to what happened.  

Suddenly, arrows shot out from nowhere, hitting Koriah and Tryptic. Around the room, five beings with dead grey skin and dull white eyes appeared wielding bows. Morrigan looked at one and immediately recognized these foul creatures as “skulks”. The beings surrounded them and prepared to press their attack. 


With a gesture and a whisper of draconic words, she cast scorching ray at the nearest skulk. Beams of burning light shot from her hands, burning its skin. Tryptic drew his warhammer and charged the skulk. The hammer connected with the skulk in the chest. Meanwhile, Koriah moved towards a couple of skulks. She deftly whipped her aklys around their ankles, causing them to fall prone. Seeing this, Jazeem leaped toward the two on the ground and pummeled them mercilessly. Finally, Wil and Akeela moved toward two others. Akeela grabbed the legs of one and tripped it as Will swung his axe, cutting into the skulk. 


In a defensive move, the skulks vanished. The sharp thud of an arrow near Morrigan alerted her to the presence of another skulk that entered the room. A few whisper words later another scorching ray shot from her fingertips into the skulk just as Tryptic charged. The steel of his hammer connected with the skulk. The sound of ticking became clear as a large Clockwork golem lumbered into the room. The golem raised its heavy arm and bashed Morrigan over her head. Koriah gasped and moved in to start hitting the golem with her icy sword followed by Jazeem. On the other side of the room, Wil and Akeela managed to scent out the skulks and proceeded to attack, killing one. 


Skulks again knocked their arrows and struck Wil and Tryptic. Realising the seriousness of the situation, Morrigan cast haste on the party and shrouded herself in shadows. Tryptic bashed the skulk and prepared to turn on the clockwork golem. Jazeem and Koriah continued to keep the golem occupied with each cut of Koriah’s sword filling with frost. Wil and Akeela killed another skulk and struck at the final skulk who tried to flee. 


Morrigan focused and summoned an ice storm to box the skulks in. Tryptic moved in to attack the clockwork golem with Jazeem and Koriah. The golem grabbed Jazeem in its vice-like grip and smashed his other fist against Tryptics chest. Koriah continued slashing the golem with her sword as Jazeem continues punching.  Wil and Akeela moved in to continue hitting the last camouflaged skulk. Akeela trips it and Wil gashes it with his axe. 


Morrigan cast glitterdust in the remaining area of the room, but no skulks in were in the area. Tryptic hit the golem again with his blessed warhammer sending the golems head flying.  The golem explodes. Tryptic, Jazeem, and Koriah were all caught in the blast. The explosion killed Tryptic. Will and Akeela easily finish off the skulk they are fighting. 


The party assessed their situation knowing that while Casamir could indeed raise Tryptic, he didn’t have enough diamond dust with which to perform the ritual. Wil flew to the city of Fairhaven, Aundair in hopes of acquiring the necessary materials to resurrect Tryptic and purchase a teleport scroll for Morrigan so she had access to the spell. 


MEANWHILE, IN THE AFTERLIFE 


Tryptic finds himself in line in the world of the dead. 


A black-robed skeleton with blue flames in the eye sockets appears before Tryptic.  


Just before vanishing, His hollow voice intones, YOU ARE BECOMING A PROBLEM. ONCE IS USUALLY WHAT PEOPLE GET. TWICE IS A BAD COINCIDENCE. DON’T GO FOR THREE.  


Next, the person in line in front of Tryptic turns around. It is his warforged friend he cannot remember the name of.  


“Oh Tryptic. We need to have another talk, really. It was a good fight I’ll give you that. We need to figure out how to boost your defenses a bit, because we can’t keep doing this. If you get back to Sharn, seek out the Warforged in ‘down below’ – the lowest rungs of Sharn. He won’t be hard to find.” 


BACK IN EBERRON 


The party returned to the lighthouse where Casamir had taken up residence. They go through the items the skulks had: several +1 composite short bows, steel unholy symbol which the party realizes is Yamasoth – the clippoth lord, and arrows made of ghost iron. 


Jazeem and Morrigan saw a group of kobolds, led by a kobold named Bic, who entered the abbey to investigate the area looking for salvage. Jazeem and Morrigan advised them to leave after which Morrigan gave them 45 gold. 


Wil returned from Aundair with the items he purchased. Casamir raised Tryptic and the group rested. 


The next day, the party returned to the beer/wine cellar and continue exploring. They found an attached brewery in the hall the golem came from, but nothing else of interest in that area.  Further exploration of the passages revealed a room with running water. In the center was a 20 foot cistern full of water.  


The next room the party entered was decorated with paintings.  The paintings depicted life-sized clerics with painted musical notes to indicate they are singing. As the party examined the paintings more closely, Wil realized that some of the clerics on the paintings don’t have musical notes coming from them. These 'clerics' revealed themselves to be skulks which raised their bows and fired at the heroes. 


The arrows flew out and hit Wil but missed everyone else. The party divided up and under the effect of a haste spell from Morrigan, started fighting. The party  makes short work of the skulks (like 2 rounds). 


The party examines the rest of the room and found another metal door with a doomsday lock on it. Wil opened the lock allowing the party to pass through. 


The next room smelled stale and contained an alcove with a faint flickering light. Wil examined the floor realising there had been a great deal of traffic through the room and down the stairs.  The party proceeded further down the stairs that ended in a room painted with frescos. The frescos depict a line of people queued up to talk to a blind old man. WIl and Morrigan realised that it is a depiction of one of the nameless priests of Yamasoth. Writings depicting words were shown coming from his mouth. "The passing of the last [untranslatable] at the dawn of an age of lost omens." 


The party continued and soon encountered another lock. They realised they are in an area protected by locks. Passing through, they found a room painted to depict the inside of a cathedral such that if you stand in the center it looked like you were in the center of a cathedral. A blast of magical energy washed over the party giving them a momentary feeling of depression and sadness but they suffered no ill effects. 


At this point, they encountered a horrific creature of some type. 

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