Brave & Foolhardy
TEAR'S END - Part Two (Session 45)
Just a stone’s throw away.
Game date: November 8, 2011
SYNOPSIS
Long story short, after the heroes closed the portal to the Far Realm, they easily (relatively speaking) took care of the situation. Oh, Ikar did get away, but he left behind his living phylactery, the deva Ailis Marzal. There was much discussion on what to do with the severly depressed and captive deva, but in the end it was decided that the heroes would keep her alive in hope that Ikar would return in about a week or so. Volarn, the Kaorti priest who was transported from the Far Realm, was not so lucky. With the Tear of Knowledge destroyed and the portal destroyed, Volarn’s disciples remained locked away in the Plane of Madness. Life was good.
The PCs contemplated their next step. They were virtually stranded far to the north in the natural world in a forgotten outpost fortress of Bael Turath. They easily surmised that they could hike out by foot across the frozen wasteland and hope to eventually find their way back home. But, for heroes of the time, is there really a “home” to go back to? Their other option was to use the Linked Portal ritual they had found, but that would require them to find another portal. Or, they could use the Argent Portal and take their chances…seek their destiny, in a different direction.
Instead, they chose to explore the fortress a little further to clean up/out the current residents. The shadow demon, Artantos had offered his help to ease the characters mission to stop Ikar, but now that that was done, the heroes had a mind to deny the demon his foothold in the icy north. A clean sweep of the outpost seemed to be in order.
The characters found their way to the surface through a trap door into the interior of the fortress. Immediately they had to deal with an icetomb wight and its pesky icewight allies. Travok charged through the snow and engaged the icetomb wight while Berend moved into position to take on the closest icewight. Directions and encouragement were called out to all by Heskan as he advanced, belching forth his dragon’s breath. The icetomb wight caught the brunt of it and let out a deathly screech as his icy form popped and splintered from the heat.
Tavar muddled with whatever sentience the undead possessed and forced them to fight each other while Thia channeled the divine powers from the Raven Queen, searing the monsters desiccated flesh and vaporizing their icy armor. Berend set aside Angalia and drew forth the sun blade he had recovered from the late Tiberius to take advantage of the enemies vulnerability to the sword’s holy power.
One by one, the undead guardians of the fortress fell from the combined assault from the heroes. The wights cold bodies sank into the deep snow covering the courtyard and the raging blizzard soon covered their bodies in a matter of seconds. More of Ikar’s followers likely still remained within the fortress or the complex below, and Artantos waited for the moment he and his demon army could swell the windswept battlements and icy halls.
There was definitely unfinished business here at the top of the world. The PCs could complete their work here and hope to find a portal that would link them back home. Warm beds, hot baths and succulent food surely awaited them in Fallcrest. They also guessed that they were as close to the tiefling temple of Ryazan as they ever had been or might ever be, and they could finally return Dajaani’s symbol. But there was also the temptation to use the Argent Portal ritual and travel to the legendary city built when the dust was still settling from the Dawn War. The howling winds and stinging snow encouraged them to make a decision and make it quick.
FINDINGS
ENCOUNTERS
“Bleeding Universe” (9,000 XP)
Treasure: 10,300 gp and two (2) potions of vitality
“Chilly Welcome” (4,000 XP)
Treasure: none
MAJOR QUEST REWARD: “Let My People Go” (4,000 XP)
EXPERIENCE
Each character earned 2,600 XP for “Bleeding Universe”, “Icy Welcome”, and major quest reward “Let My People Go”
CAMPAIGN QUESTS
GROUP QUESTS
INDIVIDUAL QUESTS
GM’s THOUGHTS