CARRION CROWN CAMPAIGN JOURNAL

[phil]

10-04-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 10)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Nephthor (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)


Key events

- on 16th Kuthona evening, party returns to Illmarsh and meets with Horace Croon at his workshop

- on 17th Kuthona, party reaches the underwater city using Horace Croon’s submersible

- party defeats various foes : huge fiendish octopus sorcerer, Mi-go, Mental cockroach, Skum Priest

- party finds the WW dark rider who explodes and transforms into a Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath

- party finds a mace artifact with raven head shapes, a jammed ring and Rider’s belongings including Dagon’s effigy

- as part of the Rider’s belonging, there was a sealable ceramic egg which contained a WW amulet and a folded message: “ “Necrophagous secrets whisper Through chronicles of Raven’s tongue” These words, no doubt familiar to you, are your next task. Take the Seasage Effigy to G.L. in Illmarsh. He will exchange it for the ill-fated mace. When the item is in your possession, join B.R. your partner in Caliphas, and the Carrion Crown can finally be completed. For the glory of the Whisperer”, the message is signed A.A.

- party levels up to level 11 !


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- Iq’lothatuaa’s legendary seashell large Greataxe +1, allows AoO if target in range falls prone [3,000GP]

- 6 Mi-go rods (require DC 15 Arcana action to activate, each rod has 1 non-rechargeable use of cold stunning ray 80’, Spell-attack +9, 7 2d6 cold and DC 15 Con Stun until end of target's next turn) [750GP]

- Dagon’s Effigy (see separate section) [20,000GP can only be sold to specifically interested parties]

- Raven Mace (see separate section) [at least 100,000GP can only be sold to specifically interested parties]

- Adamantine Spell Storing Ring [11,000GP]

- decorated and nicely crafted sealable ceramic egg [250GP]


Dagon’s Effigy (requires attunement)
(1). Constant Water Breathing Level 4 + protects vs liquid water environmental negative effects, can be extended up to 10 willing creatures within 20' (while they remain within 20’)
(2). Poison Spray cantrip (Level 11, DC 19, 3d12, 10’) at will
(3). Other powers are dormant and require an attuned wielder with correct profile in order to be revealed


Raven Head Mace of Disruption +2 (requires attunement)
(1). +2d6 radiant damage vs Fiend/Undead with a bright flash, if undead of CR 20 or lower it also gains weakness against this radiant damage
(2). If the fiend/undead target has 50 hit points or fewer after taking this damage, it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be destroyed. On a successful save, the creature becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
(3). At will, emits Level 2 Light around the mace. If the wielder is Good or is a Pharasma worshipper, he/she is affected by a constant Protection from Evil vs Fiend/Undead and Light spell effect is a replaced by a 20' radius Level 5 Daylight
(4). If the wielder is Evil, he/she takes radiant damage per round as per effect (1) and is also affected by effect (2) every round, if applicable


Resources spent

- none


Rules updates / clarifications

- none







  Mi-Go                  Raven Head Mace



       Dark Young

[phil]

17-04-2022 Session

Characters (Lv 11)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Nephthor (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)

Key events

- Knick hid the Raven Head mace at the bottom of the lake inside 3 lead boxes

- on 19th Kuthona morning, party teleports to Caliphas

- Kendra indicated that the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye has its official Ustalavian headquarters in Caliphas, and is known to have an extensive collection of ancient books and artifacts in its secure "Esoteric Vault", with knowledge even predating Tar-Baphon’s rule; she also knows the address of her Uncle, the professor Bernard Balthazar, and would like to meet him again, she believes that he may also have useful information

- party discovered that the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye owns the old Haraday Theater which appears to be used only a couple of days per month for private events; the guards do not seem to know more about it

- while traveling at night through the city, party gloriously defeated a headless horseman and 4 ghoulish dire wolves; Chang was killed and was reincarnated as a Dhampir by Boomer

- amongst the remains of the horseman, party found a magical medallion displaying a skull with red eyes and composed of several overlapping disks with indentations and symbols; the horseman’s dragon leather belt (grants +1 to Athletics checks) has an old inscription etched on the inner side “For my beloved Barliss Rask, 4701”

- party discovered that strange murders have been occurring over past few weeks, initially piles of ashes and clothes were found on roofs and but a headless corpse was found in a dark alley before dawn, apparently after falling off from the roof, although it appeared to have been freshly killed, the corpse was drained of its bodily fluids and turned into ashes when carried to the main street in the morning; sharp wooden sticks where found in each pile of ashes

- party reached the high-end hotel where Kendra’s uncle who is renting the whole last floor; Tiffany manages to convince the hotel staff not to charge anything until the professor comes back as he is away at the moment

- party is informed that the professor invites them for dinner at his suite on 21th Kuthona evening

- on 20th Kuthona night, while Knick and Kendra had some private time at the luxury suite, party went to investigate the murders; Chang rushes on rooftops to an alley where a female’s scream was heard; despite a 20’ drop and the full cover provided by some weird fog, Chang courageously jumped into the alley


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- black dragon leather belt granting +1 to Athletics checks (no attunement required) [1800GP]

- WW medallion, it seems to be a magical trigger of some sort depending on selected symbols combination


Resources spent

- none


Rules updates / clarifications

- none

 Headless Horseman


  WW medallion

[phil]

24-04-2022 Session

Characters (Lv 11)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Nephthor (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)

Key events

- on 20th Kuthona night, party saves a young teenage boyish girl named “Mouse” who had been attacked in the alley

- Mouse explained her story; she was a young thief who tried to break-in the tower of an old scholar and but fell almost to her death (she rolled a “1” while climbing); the old Master somehow saved her; 2 days later the tower was assaulted by shiny warriors and her new Master bought enough time for Mouse to flee though some tunnels, he told her to beg the Elders at Caliphas Central Park; Mouse felt her Master destruction as she was fleeing for her (un)life.

- Mouse was very hungry, not having “eaten” anything over past 3 days, and could not resist a particularly enthralling smell coming from an apparently drunken person in the alley, however it was an ambush as the man suddenly pointed a gray rod at her and she had barely time to scream before becoming fully paralyzed; the alley was suddenly covered with fog and she could hear movements converging toward her from several directions but as Chang shouted his challenge, one of the voice ordered something to the others in a dark and sinister language “niz hurnash nan durubarz skamm snork balum shahakht duluk shaz’liz” and the presences moved away as Chang was heroically jumping into the alley

- party decided to explore Central Park while leaving Kendra to rest at the Hotel

- party picked one the Greenhouse doors and entered a dense tropical forest with winding alleys

- they faced a female elf vampire wearing an armor made of briars and thorns, the vampire defeated the party soundly but decided to let them go as Mouse successfully convinced her that the party came for the purpose of finding Mouse a new master instead of invading her domain

- party went back to hotel and discovered that Kendra had been kidnapped, some rotten flesh fragments were found and a strong Nightmare sulfuric odor was in the room

- on 21st Kuthona, party contacted Judge Emreth through a Sending; the judge advised to contact Abraun Chalest in order to arrange a meeting with the Esoteric Order of the Palantine Eye Leadership; he managed to arrange a meeting with Edjureus Modd the Order’s Lodge leader on 22nd Kuthona evening

- on 21st Kuthona evening, party went to meet Bernard Balthazar upstairs; he was devastated by Kendra disappearance and requested the party to destroy all vampires in Caliphas as they were likely to be the culprits; BB indicated that the local Vampire lord was called Ludvik and that the female elven vampire was known as Merrick; BB promised to deliver the next evening 5 medallions of Protection from Evil which will work for 1 week (no attunement needed)

- on 22nd Kuthona evening, party received the medallions (displaying a simple sun engraving) and wore them hidden under their clothes and ordered the famished Mouse safely into a bag of holding, then they went to the Haraday Theater to meet the Lodge Master

- by offering to donate the WW decipher tool which was used by Professor Lorimor, the party convinced the Master to let them access the secret Archives

- party levels up to Level 12

- result of Research in the Archives will be published in the next post


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- fragments of rotten flesh


Resources spent

- 1 scroll of Sending


Rules updates / clarifications

- proposed dispel / counter update : auto-success if dispelling / countering source (such as dispel magic or remove curse or restoration) is same level or more as the effect to be dispelled / countered, if the source is of lower level then spell attack roll at -2/Spell level difference has to be successful versus the effect DC

- proposed stealth / perception rule simplification : in case a target is not perceivable with a precise sense, it can attempt to stealth/hide without cover or concealment and, unless it reveals its position, it is considered to be always hiding or stealthing as if it had taken 5 on stealth without the need to take any action or to move at half-speed; if the target takes a proper hide action or tries to stealth and moves at half-speed then regular stealth roll applies with Double Advantage


  Merrick 

    Mouse

[phil]

24-04-2022 Session – additional information

Topics Researched at the Archives and achieved outcomes



(1) Whispering Way Medallion (Knowledge Arcana DC 27 achieved with Assistant)

Greater agents of the Whispering Way use these silver medallions as keys (called Moribund keys) to their sanctuaries. Each moribund key bears an engraved skull with two gray, burned-out ioun stones for eyes. Small openings line the coin’s outer edge. By turning the skull’s head, an inner plate marked with runic symbols lines up with these openings to establish different combinations. Each setting matches symbols inscribed on objects of great importance to the cult, such as statues, paintings, and doors. The proper arrangement of these runes activates stored spell effects in such objects, including powerful wards, programmed images, or the release of arcane locks. An attuned bearer of a moribund key can cast message at will, and spectral hand and vampiric touch 3 times per day (CL 12). In addition, the skull’s eyes glow when undead approach within 30 feet in line of sight. To function at all, a moribund key requires attunement. A moribund key reduces maximum hp by 10 and all d20 rolls by 1 on any good creature attuned to it. An ancient gargoyle statue formerly taken away from an old cemetery just outside Caliphas, was supposed to show the location the of Caliphas WW headquarters to genuine bearers of Moribund keys but such a key could never be secured and the statue is stored now somewhere deep in the Archives.


(2) Whispering Way organization and history (Knowledge History DC 24 achieved with Assistant)

Embracing the very antithesis of life, the Whispering Way calls the ambitious and unscrupulous to embrace a simple, fatalistic philosophy: life holds no value, and its extinction is the gateway to a golden age of order and immortality. Far more than nihilists, adherents of the Whispering Way view the passage into undeath not as a curse or a punishment, but rather the greatest transcendence a living creature can experience. To the Whispering Way, life is a drain on the ecology and a wasteful expense mortals must endure before passing beyond the veil of death. The Whispering Way as a philosophy cannot be learned from tomes or demonstrated for new members; it can only be told, passed in breathless gasps from dusty mouths to the ears of those yet to transition beyond their fragile lives. At its most basic level, it is the exaltation of the path to undeath, primarily in the form of lichdom. Liches are idealized beyond all other undead because of the difficulty and potential lethalness of the transformation, yet also because only those with the drive and genius to discover their unique path to lichdom can attain such grim immortality. Yet more than just seeking a path to personal power, the Whispering Way seeks to change the world, viewing Golarion as a chaotic, dangerous place, besieged by its own diversity of creatures, cultures, and possibilities. Under the rule of worthy undead princes, all the world might be cleansed, leaving it an ordered realm of death, but not of quiet rot. Rather, they see an eternal world unified by a united state, purpose, consistency, and peace. No written doctrine or any one voice extols the Whispering Way. Just as the path to lichdom is unique for every individual, so too is the vision of the world to come and the path to that grim perfection. The group shuns written forms of their philosophies, and any reported tomes detailing their traditions end up being only the lies and ramblings of nonbelievers or exiled necromancers. The Whispering Way’s followers actively seek this literature in order to destroy it. The philosophy’s most precious secrets strictly pass from dry tongue to ears eager for enlightenment. Followers form sects within the greater philosophy, sharing their knowledge among peers and seeking to prepare the world for their unique visions of its inevitable demise. For centuries, many adherents of the Whispering Way have idealized their path’s most infamous member, Tar-Baphon, known as the Whispering Tyrant. Although the legendary lich-king failed in his attempt to slay Aroden, patron god of humanity, and so begin the ruin of the world, the age since has seen the Tyrant’s ambitions fulfilled. Thus, many of the Whispering Way’s members believe they live upon the threshold of their dead utopia, and no longer seek ways to bring ruin to the world, but rather aspire to elevate their own places in the inevitable promised land. Now, as the Way whispers through the shadows of ages, its proscriptions of death and undead perfection bear not just the fatalism of those prepared to die, but the eagerness of those committed to rising as rulers amid a new world of the dead. The origins of the Whispering Way are cloaked in shadows—the deepest of shadows, in fact, as the earliest evidence of this fatalistic philosophy stems from the Age of Darkness. None can say who first turned pursuit of a deathless immortality into the dogma of a morbid cult, and likely the Way evolved organically through generations of like-minded necromancers, their apprentices, vulnerable adherents, and brainwashed slaves. Few will ever know the atrocities committed under the veil of Golarion’s darkest epoch, but the fact that depraved souls commanded such inf luence that their ghastly obsessions passed from the realm of delusion into doctrine, attracting the traumatized minds of the era and persisting through the ages, offers but a hint of that era’s unrivaled terror. The Whispering Way claims no founder, prophet, or divine muse; the Way merely is and exists as a realization to be grasped by those intelligent, realistic, insightful, and ambitious enough to fathom it. It needs history and mythology no more than do mathematical principles or physical laws, and by the same right, requires no belief to be true. Those who understand it accept it as fact and work to attain the stagnant utopia idealized at its heart. Those who don’t instead fear it and the fundamental changes it means for the living world, being more willing to embrace death’s ultimate oblivion than to divest themselves of the ephemeral comforts of a chaotic world. Such are the understandings of the Way, and its adherents require no greater pedigree or reason to pursue its objectives than the promise of the dark powers and immortal influence they’ll wield in the idealized corpse-world of their dreams. None can doubt the impact of the Whispering Way’s most terrifying adherent, the Whispering Tyrant, upon the very philosophy he rose to power pursuing. During the Age of Enthronement, the wizard-king Tar-Baphon learned of the Whispering Way and wished to use their secrets for his own. Seeking these mysteries, he eventually converted to the Way, becoming one of the most visible and well-known adherents in the history of the group. After his defeat by his greatest enemy, the living god Aroden, Tar-Baphon eventually returned to the world as a powerful lich, gaining the moniker the Whispering Tyrant. While most adherents continue to seek their own unique paths to undeath and furthering the Way’s goals, many see Tar-Baphon as the order’s champion and believe his restoration to be the surest way of hastening the world’s end. Especially with the death of the god Aroden, many view the imprisoned Tyrant as a fallen king, and seek to release him to claim a world terrified by but grimly expectant of his return. Some seek lichdom strictly for the power of immortality, while for others it is simply a way to beat time, a way to complete their tasks before falling to the cruel judgment of unexpected death. The philosophy of the Whispering Way attracts cold, calculated, and relatively emotionless people. The path to immortality the Whispering Way offers also attracts megalomaniacal and power-hungry adherents. But either way, given the soul-deep dedication to the philosophy, there are no passive followers. The ties binding members of the Whispering Way are the secrets to an enlightened path to undeath. Followers find the philosophy in various ways. Some follow the path after recruitment by current adherents seeking to turn their knowledge and power toward the veil of the grave, while others stumble across a reference in a dusty tome that leads them to inquire further. Others gravitate toward the Whispering Way after their passage into undeath, using the secrets of the philosophy to master their state and push their power to greater heights. Joining the greater organization and becoming a follower of the Whispering Way is deceptively simple at the onset. An adherent begins by learning the primary secrets of life and death. These form the building blocks of the philosophy, and from there the adherent learns more of the long-running oral epic that ultimately includes instructions for successfully transforming into a lich. With each member holding different portions of the secret, followers form a network of specialized skill and theory pertaining to necromancy that makes the Whispering Way the absolute authority on undead. Once followers begin learning the tenets of the Whispering Way, the power of the philosophy takes hold, weaving itself into their very souls and preparing those souls for a successful transfer at the chosen time of passing. The tenets are recited in Necril, the secret dark language used by fully confirmed members. The Way’s fifth tenet (“Mul Krak Kasha” in Necril) is “Undying form, Undying opportunity.” (“Urgul Shakalt, Urgul Buthum“ in Necril) is considered as particularly important and is often used as a greeting when welcoming new members. As followers progress through the multitude of rites embedded in the philosophy, their bodies and souls become shackled to the Way. Initiates straying from the path rarely live longer than a year, and when they expire, their form dissolves into a gritty, gray ash. Followers of the Whispering Way insinuate themselves into the great magic academies and other places of arcane learning throughout Golarion. In these places, they hide their necromantic leanings and observe potential initiates, eventually making contact with candidates and tempting their inquisitive minds with offers of eternal life and vast power. While positioned in these places of arcane learning, adherents devour all available knowledge that might aid the philosophical organization, bringing this education to the cult’s lorekeepers, who share it with the group as a whole as part of their memorized libraries. In addition to arcane colleges, the Whispering Way infiltrates influential groups and governments, always seeking to lure the powerful from their place in the world with promises of increased power and control once they make the passage beyond the grave. Loosely structured, the Whispering Way has little in the way of hierarchical status. While many members deny the greater group even has a leader, rank within the Whispering Way is typically determined by two factors— age and power. Respect is granted to exceptionally old adherents, whether in leadership positions or not. Power, be it from cunning, knowledge, wealth, or a mastery of arcane or divine arts, always rises to the top of any system and seeks to control. Followers care little for exacting rules and regulations, finding anyone who adheres to the philosophy to be a suitable fit for the group. Failures tend to remove themselves from the organization—often by becoming the victims or undead slaves of more ambitious peers—and as such, the very philosophical backbone of the Whispering Way is a self-correcting system. Adherents have their own personal projects and interests and naturally congregate with other like-minded followers, forming specialized cells. Like an academy, the Whispering Way is structured into departments. These factions typically form along lines of philosophy and manner of undeath. Some adherents find common goals and share their learning. These factions within the group typically focus on one particular method of undeath, spending years perfecting the creation of these creatures or unraveling the secret of transforming into one. Other popular factions in the group follow a particular deity. Though usually populated by clerics, the religious sects also attract lay members with strong faith to these evil deities. While most adherents are greedy for power and selfcentered, few followers of the Whispering Way are necromancers leading an army of undead. However, many within the Whispering Way produce scores of lesser undead, shackling them to mindless servitude. They view these creations as machines, pets, or even children. These prolific necromancers and clerics pride themselves in their design, going to the extent of decorating their creations— etching runes into bones, stitching trademark embroidery into f lesh, and even embedding precious metals and stones into their bodies. While adherents of the Whispering Way weave their foul path throughout the world, the greatest concentration of these vile cultists lurks in the nations of Geb and Ustalav. The first is due to its celebration and acceptance of the undead, while the latter is due to the location of the group’s primary champion and most famous member, the Whispering Tyrant.


(3) Caliphas Vampires history and organization (Knowledge History DC 20 achieved without Assistant)

Vampires in Caliphas have a very ancient history and are led by Ludvik Siervage who is considered by some as the oldest Elder Vampire in Ustalav. Ludvik is said to have existed for over 2 millennia and is known for having led a vampire rebellion against the Whispering Tyrant and his Vampire Lord General Malyas. Ludvik’s opposes the WW agenda as he sees no “bright” (pun intended) future for vampires in a world filled with undead and without sentient live being to play with and feed upon. Ludvik is fond of ancient Ustalavian style and nobility. His clan contains numerous noble vampire families and appears not to have any desire to expand or recruit members from lower rank nobility. Ludvik is very much respected and feared amongst other vampires clans in Ustalav although his rather balanced and almost peaceful approach toward mortals is sometimes mistakenly perceived as a sign of weakness by younger and more ambitious vampires groups. Ludvik himself will almost never bother involving himself in mortal’s affairs and leaves the “day to day” (pun intended) activities to his close Generals.

[phil]

01-05-2022 Session

Characters (Lv 12)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Nephthor (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)

Key events

- on 23rd Kuthona mid-day, party completed its research and decided to activate the WW Gargoyle using the Moribond key; during that fateful event Nephtor was killed while the party discovered that the medallions provided by BB are cursed and grant weakness to necrotic damage

- on 23rd Kuthona evening, party purified Nephtor corpse at the nearby Sarenrae’s temple and then Boomer reincarnated him into a female halfling cutie

- on 24th Kuthona, Boomer removed the medallions’ curses, the medallions crumbled; party successfully activated the gargoyle who pointed at an old Virlych private museum as the local WW HQ; the Esoteric Order of the Palantine Eye will obtain invitations for the party to enter the museum on the next day

- after defeating a foul fey tree, party found a passage from the Greenhouse to an underground dungeon where Lady Merrick and 6 spawn were residing; party offered a delicious young couple to negotiate peaceful entry into the Vampires underground world

- party met a group of 8 drunk spawns and convinced them to bring them to the first vampires guard house

- party met Ludvik Siervage, his intense frightening aura caused some party members to piss their pants or panties

- although Ludvik is strongly doubting the WW ability to cause any real harm or raise Tar-Baphon, he would agree to help the party track the Whispering Way if (1) a majority of his 3 trusted generals would support the party’s actions and if (2) the party would fully and permanently solve the vampires murders issue

- Ludvik loaned his signet ring and told the party to go and talk to Lady Evgenya Zunaida, Sir Desmond Kote and Lord Radvir Giovanni

- Knicks knows the following about those Generals :      

• Lady Evgenya Zunaida is in charge of organizing the Clan’s social life and entertainment, she also maintains a subtle information network amongst mortals, she is quite decadent, ruthless and is an expert at manipulation and politics
  
• Sir Desmond Kote is in charge of military, security and religious matters; all guards and soldiers report to him and he leads an elite squad of inquisitors devoted to the Infernal Duke Zaebos (Arch-Pit Fiend who ascended to Minor God; Areas of Concern Arrogance, nobility, sexual perversion); he is considered as a strict conservative with a high sense of honour
• Lord Ravir Giovanni was recently (80 years ago) turned into a vampire by Ludvik; he is part of a very old Ustalavian noble house; he still has strong connections amongst mortals and helped strengthen business ties with Caliphas upper world especially in the area of textiles and luxury clothing; however his political clout within the Clan is still weak and he is considered as a recent upstart

- Chang also heard about Ramoska Arkminos who is a Nosferatu Scholar specialized in Immortality and Lichdom who has been staying in Caliphas over the past 40+ Years and is currently an emissary from the Varno Clan. Ramoska is known to have worked for the elderly Countess Caliphvaso during several years but his contract ended less than a year ago.

Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- Ludvik’s signet ring (loan)


Resources spent

- 1 periapt of healt
- 250GP condoleance money


Rules updates / clarifications

- none

 His Grace Ludvik Siervage

    Ramoska Arkminos

[phil]

08-05-2022 Session

Characters (Lv 12)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Lolita (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)

Key events

- on 24th Kuthona, party met Lady Evgenya Zunaida who suggested that the party would earn favor with the Clan if they were to find evidence (such as severed vampire heads and soiled stakes) of the murders in Lord Radvir Giovanni's office; she does not dislike Sir Desmond Kote who dutifully performs necessary boring tasks for the Clan, she despises Lady Merrick who she considers as a weak plant sucker aberration

- Lady Evgenya Zunaida indicated that strangely the rogue spawns of murdered vampires did not appear to go mad as if they had been adopted by a new master which happens very rarely as typically vampires prefer to select and groom their own spawns; even extreme interrogation of such a rogue spawn did not yield any useful information although she noticed some eerie delicious smell oozing from the spawn remains

- Lady Evgenya Zunaida indicated that most murders happened in the rich quarter especially around Central Park area

- Lady Evgenya Zunaida proposed to become Lolita's new Patron and to take care of Mouse

- party accidentally found a bag with severed vampire heads and soiled stakes after leaving Lady Evgenya Zunaida chambers

- party met Lord Radvir Giovanni in his underground deluxe tailor shop, he was drinking a red liquid which smell fascinated Mouse

- Lord Radvir Giovanni indicated that he had already uncovered evidences for the murders and that the murderer, a Nosferatu vampire called Ramoska Arkminos, had already been apprehended; based on obtained letters, Ramoska Arkminos was conspiring with Caliphas nobility to purge Caliphas from its vampires denizen; Ramoska Arkminos is known to have done several contracted jobs for Caliphas nobles over the past years

- Lord Radvir Giovanni is very annoyed that Sir Desmond Kote is stalling the criminal judgment with vain procedural excuses and is therefore wasting the Clan resources and not focusing on taking revenge on the treacherous nobles; removing those nobles is key to re-establish stability between humans and vampires in Caliphas

- Lord Radvir Giovanni suggested that the party would earn favor with the Clan if they were to accidentally eliminate the Nosferatu, of course in self-defense, while interrogating him magically bound in his cell

- party met Sir Desmond Kote in his Cathedral dedicated to Zaebos Infernal Duke; Bedrork defeated one of Sir Desmond Kote’s Unholy Knight in a fair melee combat

- Sir Desmond Kote revealed that he wanted to find more evidence before indicting Ramoska Arkminos who is a prominent emissary and scholar from the Varno County

- Sir Desmond Kote noted that rogue spawns of murdered masters appeared to congregate together even if their former masters were previously rivals, also the spawns stopped attending church and had an erratic behavior almost as if intoxicated

- Sir Desmond Kote Security teams have tried to capture the killer over past few weeks but he/she seems to have superior stealth and mobility, possibly rivaling the abilities of a vampire

- Sir Desmond Kote managed to obtain stakes from several murder scenes and all seem to have been made from a similar wood piece

- Knick analysed the stakes and inferred that they were made from similar pieces of furniture legs using an expensive wood

- party met Ramoska Arkminos, magically bond in an isolated cistern

- Ramoska Arkminos claimed that he was innocent and any form of evidence has been obviously fabricated; he has no motive for attacking Ludvik clan and is mostly interested in studies about Immortality and Lichdom

- he admitted however having worked with Caliphas nobility in the past on an attempt to create an Eternal Youth potion and then had been hired by the WW to support their development of a Lichdom Elixir

- he helped to adjust the formula of the Elixir which requires an imprisoned lawful good mortal spirit, the heart of a powerful Shapeshifter, a necromantically constructed skull made of 100 innocent victims of a massacre and required to channel the energy released by the destruction of a good minor artifact; most importantly the lichdom elixir required a tiny body part of the person who was going to consume it; about 4 months ago, the WW suddenly stopped contacting him and did not pay the final wages he was due

- Ramoska Arkminos recognized BB’s picture as being the local WW leader

- last week, shortly after the start of the murders, he stumbled upon spawns who appeared to be under some kind of drug, he followed them to a secret underground vampire dealer who was selling vials of a powerfully addictive blood-like concoction, he bought some vials in order to study the substance and was interrupted a few days ago by Vampire Inquisitors led by Desmond Kote himself; being convinced that this was a misunderstanding, he let himself be captured to avoid further damaging political ties between the Vampire Clans

- Ramoska Arkminos initial analysis of the concoction seemed to indicate that this blood-like liquid had a necromantic origin

- Ramoska Arkminos indicated the location of the addictive blood-like concoction dealers under an abandoned warehouse in the poor quarter

- Ramoska Arkminos promised to help the party find the WW and be indebted to them if they could clear his name and have him freed

- party revealed to Desmond Kote that rogue spawns and even Lord Radvir Giovanni were consuming this concoction and Desmond Kote promised to further investigate and confront Lord Radvir Giovanni

- on 24th Kuthona night, party investigated the dealers under the cover of vampire spawn illusions and bought 3 vials for 75GP; Mouse immediately confirmed that the smell was the same as the one coming from Lord Radvir Giovanni drink and from the false drunk man who ambushed her in the alley


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 3 blood-like concoctions


Resources identified (from previous session)

- Ludvik’s signet ring is a ring of protection +3 (loan)


Resources spent

- 1 blood-like concoction consumed by Mouse
- 75GP


Rules updates / clarifications

- none


   Lady Evgenya Zunaida


     Lord Radvir Giovanni


    Sir Desmond Kote

[phil]

29-05-2022 Session

Characters (Lv 12)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Lolita (Raymond)

Key events

- on 24th Kuthona night, Mouse stealthily followed the blood-like concoction dealers while the party went back to rest at the Archives

- on 25th Kuthona, party went to explore the now closed Virlych museum. Boomer spotted cart tracks about 2-3 weeks old coming out of the museum back alley; party found a large secret chamber below the museum, the chamber seemed to have contained books, maps, alchemical equipment but has been hastily vacated several weeks ago

- Knick managed to re-assemble a wall chart which had been torn to pieces and discovered Tar-Baphon’s genealogical tree showing clearly that all his descendants had been systematically hunted and killed by the WW over past centuries; the last descendant’s names appear to have been added recently: Professor Lorimor and his daughter Kendra

- The War-Crow reported back that BB’s suite at the hotel had been emptied on 24th Kuthona evening and 3 wagons departed and exited the city through the northern gate

- Mouse reported back on 25th Kuthona night and confirmed that the dealers went through sewers to a large building basement in the rich Quarter; party followed Mouse discovered that the building is a very large tailor shop named “The Nobleman’s Stitch”; Knick detected that the well dressed mannequins in the display windows were actually creatures; party left and went to report to Desmond Kote

- Desmond Kote confirmed that “The Nobleman’s Stitch” belongs to Lord Giovanni; he already confronted him about the blood-like concoction and Lord Giovanni did not deny having consumed it

- Although Lord Desmond condemns the use of such substance, he is unable to take any legal action as the consumption and distribution of this brew does not sufficiently disrupt vampire society, moreover, noble vampires typically enjoy much more freedom and autonomy and are above mundane vampire regulations

- Desmond Kote refused to intervene and support the party until they fulfill their deal with His Grace Ludvik

- Party met Lady Evgenya Zunaida who was excited about the bloodbrew discovery, she is willing to support the party if they manage to unconditionally incriminate Lord Giovanni for the murders and will generously reward the party if they would help her to secure the means to produce such brew in an exclusive manner; she instructed her Childe Lolita to fulfill this noble task

- While visiting her Patron, Lolita took the opportunity to nibble a bit on the neck of a handsome young man offered as a delicacy by the Lady; the taste was exhilarating and left Lolita slightly light-headed

- on 26th Kuthona morning, party went back to the “Nobleman’s Stitch” and managed to enter the basement where they defeated 4 medium humanoids with large batlike wings and features and a deathly gaze; one of the creature barely managed to teleport away

- party found an adjacent room with 6 regular wooden coffins and one large stone one and defeated 4 vampire soldiers; Knick determined that the stone coffin was made of a single block of stone but with tiny cracks at its base; Knick started to block the cracks using wax

Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- none

Resources identified (from previous sessions)

- none

Resources spent

- 1 blood-like concoction consumed by Mouse (only 1 is left)

Rules updates / clarifications

- houserule reminder: in case of paralysis, AC is re-calculated as if Dex modifier was -5

- as per RAW, any melee attacker adjacent to a paralyzed target will auto-crit if hit but as a new houserule the auto-crit will apply only out of combat (or when there is no active threat within 60’)

[phil]

05-06-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 12)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew), Lolita (Raymond)

Key events

- on 26th Kuthona morning, while Knick was starting to block the cracks in the block of stone, a secret passage suddenly opened and a figure resembling Lord Giovanni but with its face partially (mouth exposed) covered with an exquisite silk shawl attacked the party; Lolita was bitten to death while Chang managed to avoid TPK thanks to a shield spell followed by a dimension door

- During the night, Lolita woke up as a spawn in a side room of the basement connected to the sewers through a narrow tunnel; fortunately as Lady Evgenyia already claimed Lolita's soul, the newly born spawn was not under the command of Lord Giovanni

- on 27th Kuthona mid-day, Chang dimensioned door into one of the changing rooms with Bedrork and poured a barrel of oil into the shop and then alighted it before teleporting away

- the arson attack was extremely successful (nat “20” on success rate), while the building was burning and started to collapse into the stone basement, Lolita and Mouse teleported there to discover that its vampire occupants had apparently hastily fled away; Mouse and Lolita slowly and painfully crawled through the burning debris and finally found a room with 2 staked vampires packed in crates to be shipped to Sainte Lymirin Abbey (former temple of Iomaede) which is located about 12h to the north of Caliphas; they also found crates from the Abbey full of the bloodbrew concoction; Lolita managed to grab the 2 paralyzed vampires into a bag of holding before the basement ceiling entirely collapsed

- the party presented the 2 vampires to Sir Desmond who immediately un-staked them and fed them with Boomer’s blood; luckily one of the vampires had recognized Lord Giovanni during the ambush in the alley

- Lord Desmond arrested Lord Giovanni, chained him with special anti-vampire chains, freed Ramoska Arkminos who promised to help Chang achieve Lichdom and gave to each party member a real medallion of necrotic resistance (considered as Spell Level 5, no attunement required)

- Lord Ludvik thanked the party and promised to not only disclose the WW location but also bring the party there if they would go to the Abbey and defeat whoever was in league with Lord Giovanni; Lord Ludvik promised a rich reward if the part were to succeed

- Lady Evgenya also promised a reward if the party could secure the means and relevant knowledge to enable her to have exclusive control of the bloodbrew production; party agreed to leave Mouse under Lady Evgenya’s care

- party agreed to help the vampires and arrived to the Abbey on 29th Kuthona morning to discover that the Abbey was surrounded by a large cloud of crows; the party still managed to approach and enter an adjoining storehouse which they determined was linked to the Abbey basement through a tunnel

- party entered a subterranean section of the ancient Iomaede temple and managed to convince a paladin recently turned to vampire not to stop them; party then entered a large double chamber with a full-plated knight holding to bastard swords and with blood seeping through his armor, Lolita new blood sense recognized that this blood must be part of the composition of the bloodbrew

- the second part of the chamber is composed of a large domed room with complex pentagrams and runes with a low greenish glow and at the very end there is a dais with a throne on which sits a woman erratically dressed in pieces of armor, ad-hoc pieces of plain woman clothing; she looks a bit pale and is petting a black cat

Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 5 medallions of necrotic resistance (considered as Spell Level 5, no attunement required)


Resources identified (from previous session)

- none

Resources spent

- none

Rules updates / clarifications

- none


    Bloodknight

    Aisa

[phil]

12-06-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 12)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew), Lolita (Raymond)


Key events

- on 29th Kuthona, party defeated the Bloodknight and Aisa the Witch vampire teleported away after failing to possess Bedrork; party took the Bloodknight armor

- party found 4 staked vampires being drained of their internal fluids and saved them; Lolita managed to convince them (natural 20) to ally with the party and together they defeated both Witches sisters

- party found 4 drops of golden elixir, Boomer drank 2 drops and became 20 years younger (rejuvenating from 35 to 15 years old)

- party discovered that the Witches have been looking for a way to attain immortality and were allied to a bloodknight, they were contacted by the WW who guided them to devise an elixir based on vampiric fluids allowing to turn into a vampire without becoming slave to a vampire master, in return the WW wanted the sisters to produce a bloodbrew using their bloodknight blood in order to create havoc within the vampire society in Caliphas and eventually overthrow Lord Ludvik

- party discovered one almost completed dose of elixir to turn into a vampire and spent 2 days to complete it; Bedrork consumed it and became a full vampire

- party went back to Caliphas to report to Lord Ludvik who granted each party member a vey rare magic item of their choice; he promised to also arrange magic transportation to the WW known HQ in the doomed Virlych province

- party gave the Bloodknight armor to Lady Evgenya who offered each party member an uncommon magic item of their choice and elevated Lolita to full vampire (under her control)

- on 1st Abadius evening, party is ready to travel to Virlych


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- Witching Gown (only works on females) : grants +3 Armor bonus not cumulative with armor or mage armor / bracelets; can change actual shape to any type of clothing up to 500GP worth (Middle Nobility) and +2 stackable bonus to Constitution

- Ring of Levitation (1 action to activate for 10min, no Concentration)

- 1 very rare and 1 uncommon magic item for each party member

- 2 drops of rejuvenating elixir (10 years per drop)
 

Resources identified (from previous session)

- none


Resources spent

- Lord Ludvik ring has been returned to him


Rules updates / clarifications

- reminder : Undead immunity to Charmed & Frightened conditions and social skills is bypassed if the Effect is Necromantic or if the source of the Effect is (another Undead or typically Undead controlling creature (such as a Necromancer, Evil Cleric, Minion of a Deity related to Undeath, …)) of Level / CR strictly above the targeted Undead Level / CR; also immunities to Charmed, Poisoned, Frightened, Exhausted, Diseases and resistances to Enchantments do not apply if the related Effects descriptions specifically include Undead as a possible target.

[phil]

18-06-2022 Session

Characters (Lv 13)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Lolita (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)


Key events

- party decides to go to the Monastery of Renchurch (formerly dedicated to Pharasma before being conquered and desecrated by Tar-Baphon’s armies 1000+ years ago) where the WW is believed to have its current headquarters with important research facilities; Ramoska Arkminos believes that any significant ritual would have to be prepared at that location

- on 1st Abadius evening, an old wizard charmed by Lady Evgenya teleports the part to Virlych but instead of appearing near the Monastery of Renchurch, the party appears nears a necromantic gate in a petrified dense forest is attacked by mutant orangutans; the wizard and all exposed blood-dolls die in the first round

- party defeats the monkeys who still manage to steal a bag of holding and Milani’s Rose

- during the fight Knick and then Lolita are transported to a dark cavern after using teleportation magic; a wounded Steel Dragon blocked the exit but Lolita managed to charm it

- the dragon appears to be cursed and reveals having been injured by a larger dragon who seem to be allied to the steel dragon current master

- the rest of the party joins using a teleport scroll. Knick manages to open another way out using Passwall

- party flies above dark necromantic clouds (750 feet above ground, including 150 feet clouds depth) using Bedrork as a scout

- Bedrork spots the Monastery compound as well as a group of knights (bearing Iomaede symbols) camping about 1.5miles away

- party approaches the group of knights who have captured and shackled an old woman who they accuse of witchery and of being associated to the WW

- party discovers that the Knights were supposed to join a larger contingent who recently arrived to patrol the Monastery area due to report of increased disturbance but when they arrived near the monastery they found the entire camp to have been burnt yo the ground; the knights appear to be now fleeing back to their headquarters and want to bring the witch back with them to mitigate their failures

- under Zone of Truth, the old woman denies having any link to the WW and says that she is gathering rare herbs which only grow in Wirlych due to its supernatural environmental conditions

- the knights seem to have lost their holy powers and have been channeling necrotic energy into their swords instead of radiant one
- party levels up to level 14 !


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 3 scrolls of teleport


Resources identified (from previous session)

- none


Resources spent

- 2 scrolls of teleport used

- lost 1 bag of holding

- lost the Milani’s Rose

- old wizard and blood-dolls


Rules updates / clarifications

- none


   Necrogate

[phil]

10-07-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 14)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Lolita (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)


Key events

- on 2nd Abadius evening, party manages to trick the fallen knights and rescue the old woman, however during the fight Lolita activates a teleportation ability and falls into a deadly trap

- party manages to rescue Lolita and defeat the trap guardians (1 Banshee Matriarch + 2 undead Greenfire Witches) in one of the restored towers; they also find a metal trunk with various equipment and valuables which are probably remains of adventurers who fell into the trap (the trap acid is only effective against organic materials)

- party finds the burnt remains of the paladin camp, everyone perished instantaneously

- party enters the cathedral and is witness to a vision where Pharasma’s monks are destroyed by an undead dragon fire & necrotic breath, only a gray robed monk shielded by 4 nuns managed to survive and flee

- party long rests in the baptistery


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 2 pairs of mundane shackles (taken by Knick)

- 8000 GP worth of gems and jewelry

- Efreeti bottle with 2 remaining uses

- nicely crafted and decorated rapier+2 causing +1d6 lighting upon hitting a target and extra 2d6 thunder damage if critical (do not further double the thunder damage), also grants lighting resistance to the wielder

- boots of speed (activation consumes at least a 1min block)

- elven chain shirt+1 (can be worn under clothing, considered as light armor without proficiency needed, Dex bonus uncapped)

- pearl of power

- scratched and bitten badge of faith which doubles the number of Channel divinity slots


Resources identified (from previous session)

- none


Resources spent

- 4 blood meals out of 10 (already 2 Long Rests since the monkeys attack)


Rules updates / clarifications

- none

[phil]

16-07-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 14)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Lolita (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)


Key events

- on 3rd Abadius noon, party continues to explore the Monastery and eventually encounters a ghostly Master of Ceremonies who manages to flee

- party destroys a necrotic pulsating darkstone which appears to have been used to raise undead

- Lolita loots over 2 dozen probably precious antiques and stores them in Boomer's bag of holding

- party defeats a group of lacedons in a room 20' under main level and Knicks opens a passage at the bottom of a blocked 20' deep spiral stair case to the ceiling of a 20' high cavern

- party defeats 2 undead monks resembling the Pharasma priests killed by the undead dragon in the vision they saw earlier

- Lolita opens one of 19 canopy jars and releases a vampiric mist

- party decides to retreat back to the Baptistery for a short rest

- party levels up to level 15 !


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 25 antiques yet to be estimated by an antiques specialist (taken by Lolita and carried by Boomer)


Resources identified (from previous session)

- none


Resources spent

- none


Rules updates / clarifications

- none

[phil]

23-07-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 14)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), Lolita (Raymond), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)


Key events

- on 3rd Abadius 4PM, party re-attack the underground lair

- party fights 10 undead monks who shoot multiple circles of death, but thanks to Knick's inventive use of resilient sphere, TPK is nearly avoided

- party finally defeats the 10 monks and after frying 7 human servants, enters a tightly sealed area in the west where necrotic and poisonous influence is absent

- party finds a deep corridor to the north of this area, beside a storage room with food, water, equipment, cart and donkeys

- party decides to have a long rest which will end on 4th Abadius noon; the Raven Mace delivery is expected on 5th Abadius early morning probably around 4-5AM (before dawn)

- please see below for description of current on-going effects, bonuses and penalties


On-going effects / bonuses / penalties

- within the monastery compound, including the cathedral and the stairs leading to the underground area : +1 to all d20 for undead, -1 for living beings

- within the underground area where red mist is present : 5hp poison damage per round for breathing beings or 5hp per hour for non breathing beings / breathing beings with Kinick's poison protection set; as soon as 1hp of poison damage is inflicted, the target suffers -1 to all skills and is considered as Diseased until next Long Rest

- within the underground area where necrotic pulse is present : 5hp necrotic damage per round, in case of necrotic resistance of equivalent Spell Level 5 (such as the amulets of necrotic resistance) or more then this damage is ignored

- within the underground area : all undead have advantage on all rolls, all living beings have disadvantage on all rolls, all necrotic damages are increased by 50% (cumulative), all death saving throws have one lesser degree of success for all living beings

- currently Lolita and Boomer have weakness to necrotic damage and disadvantage on all saves


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 20 x 500GP black pearls
- 10 x 400GP black onyx
- 10 x potions of fly
- 10 x potions of invisibility
- 10 x potions of gaseous form


Resources identified (from previous session)

- none


Resources spent

- none


Rules updates / clarifications

- area of effects do not spread behind full cover unless description says so (such as "spreads around corner"), see exceptions below

- following effects always spread around corners and occupy full effect area as long as there is a path : all gas / cloud / smoke effects, Circle of Death effects. Auras effects

- cone effects (including breath weapons) are partially blocked by facing total cover if this total cover is smaller then the cone width, in that case only an area directly behind the total cover and of the same size as the total cover benefits from total cover vs the cone effect

- an item used for total cover against an area of effect automatically crit fails the save vs that effect; if the item is destroyed by the effect, the total cover is considered as lost but the damage to creatures who were initially supposed to benefit from the total cover is reduced by 50% of the destroyed item hp

- in case of multiple different effects causing weakness and resistance to a specific damage type, then those effects cancel each other one by one (1 weakness effect is cancelled by 1 resistance effect) but several identical effects are not counted multiple times (2 amulets of resistance are counted as 1); however  if a resistance or weakness effects clearly indicates that it ignores other resistances or weaknesses, then only the superseding effect takes place 

- Haste does increase base speed by 100% as per RAW

- Reminder : As per Houserules, Dispel magic is used as a reaction to counterspell a spell being cast and auto-succeeds if the Dispel Magic spell level is equal or higher to the spell being cast otherwise a spell-attack roll (at -2/spell level difference) vs spell being cast DC has to succeed, if the spell is correctly identified the roll is done with advantage; to attempt such counterspell, the spell casting has to be perceivable (with V or S or M component) and one needs to have line of effect to the spellcaster. Alternatively, the spell effect can also be totally or partially countered using a 1 action spell with an opposed effect (such as a Light spell vs a Darkness spell), in that case, similar counterspelling house rules apply but no Line of Effect to the caster is required and the spell used to counterspell has an instantaneous duration. If this spell area of effect includes the center of the spell to be countered then the whole spell can be countered, otherwise it can only be countered in the overlapping area of effect.

[phil]

31-07-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 15)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew)


Key events

- after a Long Rest, on 4th Abadius 1PM, party re-attacks the underground lair and is ambushed by 4 undead monks and 2 ancient liches (1 looking like a mummified alchemist and 1 looking like a young noble woman but when heavily wounded the lich true appearance will start to show)

- party defeats the ambushers although the young woman lich manages to squeeze in a corner and dimension door away

- party partially explores the lair and finds a library with study desks

- party finds a lab with alchemical equipment, books and 2 surgical operation tables on one of which was Kendra

- Knick determines that this Kendra is a form of construct, she is not alive and has no memory of the party

- Chang finds an old book about Lichdom which mentions the existence of the Libram Of Ultimate Lichdom FastTracking which could be used in a 7 days ritual to turn the reader into a Lich; the process could be further accelerated by siphoning out the power of a major evil magic item which will become the phylactery and by finding a powerful source of negative energy 

- Knick summons the Efreeti in the bottle and epically manages to obtain 2 Wishes : the first Wish is used to disable the teleportation trap in this region, the second Wish is used to teleport the party to Kendra's location

- party appears in a large cavern, with ceiling 20' high but upper 10' occupied by a dense scaffolding network with metal bars, wooden planks, rods, narrow walkways; there are several piles of corpses in various places around the area

- 20' away, hanging 5' in the air above a large bottomless pit where pulsating dark flames are burning, a frail beige robed and hooded humanoid figure is chained and bound to the ceiling; Knick manages to see a brief glimpse under the hood and recognized Kendra

- kneeling and chanting around the pit are 9 beige robed and hooded humanoid figures; in the back of the cavern there is large slightly elevated dais upon which there is an ominous bone altar in front of which a corpulent gray robed priest (whose face seems to be rotting) hold a black staff is loudly chanting; behind the altar there is a 5' narrow 15' deep ~10' high alcove (partially obstructed by a 5' high pile of corpses) and dark twisting energy tendrils are emerging from the pit and arc through the cavern to reach this alcove; on the side of the alcove there is an ancient bookshelf closed with a glass panel

- please see below for description of updated current on-going effects, bonuses and penalties including this cavern


On-going effects / bonuses / penalties

- within the monastery compound, including the cathedral and the stairs leading to the underground area : +1 to all d20 for undead, -1 for living beings

- within the underground area where red mist is present : 5hp poison damage per round for breathing beings or 5hp per hour for non breathing beings / breathing beings with Knick's poison protection set; as soon as 1hp of poison damage is inflicted, the target suffers -1 to all skills and is considered as Diseased until next Long Rest

- within the underground area where necrotic pulse is present : 5hp necrotic damage per round, in case of necrotic resistance of equivalent Spell Level 5 (such as the amulets of necrotic resistance) or more then this damage is ignored

- within the underground area : all undead have advantage on all rolls, all living beings have disadvantage on all rolls, all necrotic damages are increased by 50% (cumulative), all death saving throws have one lesser degree of success for all living beings

- within the cavern with the dark flame pit, same modifiers apply as in underground area + undead regain extra 10hp at beginning of their turn and any living creature whose hp drops to zero dies immediately, furthermore any non-necrotic healing heals 50% less hp

- currently Lolita and Boomer have weakness to necrotic damage and disadvantage on all saves


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 8 x 500GP black pearls
- 4 x 400GP black onyx
- 4 x potions of fly
- 4 x potions of invisibility
- 4 x potions of gaseous form
- 2 x potions of speed
- 1 medallion of necrotic resistance (Level 5)


Resources identified (from previous session)

- none


Resources spent

- Efreeti bottle
- 6 blood meals out of 10 (already 3 Long Rests since the monkeys attack)


Rules updates / clarifications

- "wall" spells (or equivalent such as blade barrier) which description includes alternative shapes such as "wall", "ring", "sphere" ... the "wall" shape has to be a straight flat wall, this is directly affecting wall of force, wall of fire, prismatic wall, etc ...

- some "wall" spells (such as Wind Wall) allow free form without any panels size constraints

- some "wall" spells allow to create a shape using fixed size panels, in that case the panels have to be contiguous and the angle between panels has to be 180 or +-90 degrees, this is affecting wall of stone particularly

- all "wall" shapes run along the the middle of the squares, so to create a wall in a 20'x20' square you need a 15'x15' wall

[phil]

07-08-2022 Session


Characters (Lv 16)

Boomer Pyre (Cris), Bedrork (Reggie), Knicker Knackers (Clement), (Un)holy Chang (Andrew), Lolita (Raymond)


Key events

- on 4th Abadius 4PM, party manages to acquire Kendra, who was hanging above the black pit, and hides in a demiplane

- however it appears that this Kendra is another Simulacrum

- party has another Long Rest until 5th Abadius 6PM and planeshifts in front of the cathedral

- party acquires the Raven Head mace from Lady Evegenya's agent

- party explores the underground lair again and after defeating some puny enemies and overcoming some obstacles, party reaches the cavern with the black pit

- party surprises the foes and Bedrork reduces the Gray Priest into a pulp

- Knick is dominated by the Blackstaff and artfully manages to transport the real Kendra to another location using a special magic circle customized by the WW in past centuries

- Andrew is super pissed while Clement continues (as usual) to squeeze any possible rules interpretation advantage, the DM should have stopped this but as DM failed to whisk away Kendra, it was too good of an opportunity to lead to a more dramatic conclusion of the campaign

- Blackstaff defeats Knick's Teacher in a staff duel and eventually both staves are destroyed

- Knick is transported to another region of Ustalav but thanks to Chang's eye sacrifice, otherworldly tentacles carry him back to the party  

- Chang finds the Libram Of Ultimate Lichdom FastTracking

- party finishes to explore the underground lair and finds several other treasures (see below)

- party teleports back to Caliphas and takes shelter at the Order of Palantine Eye Headquarters

- the Order provides support and resources, and helps to restore Knick's "Teacher" staff and removes a curse from Boomer and Lolita

- party has a 24h break including a Long Rest (until 6th Abadius 8PM), during that time Chang teleports back to the black pit cavern and perform the Lichdom ritual (this destroys the book) by temporarily channeling the black pit's pulsating negative energy and black energy tendrils

- the Order provides additional support : 1 Very Rare item to each party member + total 50 Spell Levels worth of Scrolls (up to Spell Level 8 per spell) + 20 potions (up to Rare)

- party levels to Level 17 !


Resources acquired (with [total re-sell costs])

- 1 Ring of Freedom of Movement
- 2 wands of Nystul Aura
- 50,000GP worth of gems
- 1 crystal ball
- 1 sapphire buckler
- 1 ring of Fire resistance Level 5
- +2 Longsword of Dragon Slayer
- 1 Candle of Planar Ally which includes 10,000GP equivalent of offering
- 1 finely crafted platinum diadem of Intelligence/Charisma/Wisdom +2, however the Order managed to determine that the diadem is heavily cursed and hosts a very old entity, the Order managed to contain the Curse with a Level 9 containment spell, they believe that the Curse will not manifest while the containment Spell holds
- 1 Saint Vestia Large Two-handed once repaired (5 days expert blacksmith with forge equipment), the large greatsword is a +2 Undead Slayer causing 3d6 extra radiant damage to Undead, the weapon itself causes 4d6 base damage, but due to oversize a medium character uses it with -4 penalty, any undead holding the weapon takes 10 (3d6) radiant damage per round and will be mentally abused by the sentient sword

Raven Head Mace of Disruption +2 (requires attunement)
(1). +2d6 radiant damage vs Fiend/Undead with a bright flash, if undead of CR 20 or lower it also gains weakness against this radiant damage
(2). If the fiend/undead target has 50 hit points or fewer after taking this damage, it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be destroyed. On a successful save, the creature becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
(3). At will, emits Level 2 Light around the mace. If the wielder is Good or is a Pharasma worshipper, he/she is affected by a constant Protection from Evil vs Fiend/Undead and Light spell effect is a replaced by a 20' radius Level 5 Daylight
(4). If the wielder is Evil, he/she takes radiant damage per round as per effect (1) and is also affected by effect (2) every round, if applicable


Resources identified (from previous session)

- none


Resources spent

- 1 eye belonging to Chang
- 1 Libram Of Ultimate Lichdom FastTracking
- Blackstaff shards given away to the Order
- 10 blood meals out of 10 (no more left)


Rules updates / clarifications

- Flash of Genius has to be used immediately once the roll is made and before the outcome is known; in case of initiative it has to be be done before the result of others initiative is known as well