Episode 20

A little late on delivery this week, sorry.  This week we had a few funny things going on.  I had 2 people who had joined us for 1 session not there (and unfortunately would not be able to keep coming in the future) and 1 new person who had not really ever played before.  So I had to figure out how to get him into the game and get them out.  Well I came up with something that was a little Deus ex Machina- but it worked out.  This was a big week- featuring mayhem, triumph, and a little defeat.

Episode 20:

The party started off the night back in this little garden of Mal'Inia where they had fought off a Naied the week before with her water elemental minions.  It was a tough fight, but they had a good time.  This week they took some time and prepared listening at the door and trying to figure out what was up ahead.  They made good rolls so I gave them a hint that these dark fey goblins had captured something.  The group popped into the next room and started way-laying the bad guys.  Within 3 rounds the encounter was over and the party was looking for clues.

The next room they went in to (with great care, I guess I have made this group a little paranoid... being a GM can be so rewarding) had 4 human ranger looking dudes in it, and their leader was in the room next to them (their leader was the new guy).  At this point the two other folks who were not here "decided" to take the 4 rangers and try and keep the bad guys busy at the front while the rest of the party went on to fight Mal'Inia at the top of the tower.

As soon as the party left the room with the guards they ran straight into a very large scale battle.  At this point there were something like 12 good guys for the party to control and this fight had 12 dark fey goblins, 2 satyr mauraders, 2 dark fey spellcasters, and a trap the party NEVER sprung.

I knew this fight would take a while, but I also know that I have couple of players who really like to play tactics games.  So every now and then it is fun to let them play tactics with the guys they have with them.  This was not the best example of that, since the guys they had were very limited, but in general I think that its fun to run a few guys and make their combat decisions.

It was a pretty long and difficult fight, that ultimately was brought to the last guy was invisible and the party was waiting to pounce on him when he was revealed.  I was happy with the fight, and they got a healing fountain in exchange.  The healing fountain was basically just a way for them to get some free healing- the rest of the tower should be tough enough to make this a fine choice and to reward them for exploring.

The party then went up to the next level of the tower and saw a still pool surrounded by statues and trees.  The party used this opportunity to try and avoid any traps I might have laid for them.  Instead they used an Unseen Servant spell and had him collect the water from the pond.  The water was beneficial to them.  It was infused with power from the shadow realm and would give anyone who drank it a +1 to saves vs Mal'Inia... that would be helpful very soon.

On the top floor the dark queen herself waited for them.  She mentioned that some "Cleric" had told her that these heroes might visit her.  The fight was easily the most challenging that the party had faced.  Urz was immediately Baleful Polymorphed into a song bird, and Damone was dropped into a pit.  Mal'Inia is highly mobile, but they pinned her down with silence spells and stinking cloud, which really would have ended the fight right there.... except that there were 3 gargoyles the party had not fought on the level below and 1 air elemental.  These kept them busy until Mal'Inia got out of the stinking cloud.  The party defeated her minions and crushed her illusory defenses.  Mal'Inia was down to her last desperate act- a mazimized shadowfireball.  Most everyone made the save, and those that did not were fine.  Except for Sam.  Sam died- he was dropped 1 point below his CON and was done for.  Urz proceeded to cut Mal'Inia down now that he had been changed back to normal, and the girls panicked and tried to figure out how to make everything better for Sam.

They collected the gigantic Anchor Stone and placed Mal'Inia's heart in a cold iron box so they could eventually slay her.

With that the Heroes slipped out of the fortress using Oberron's army as a shield to get back to their Base camp.  No one there was capable of raising Sam from the dead, and the party did not have a divine caster capable of casting that spell, so now the party has to sit and wait until they can cross the rift safely and try and patch up their loving companion.

Until Next Time!

-Ubercroz