Campaign Journal #20: The Confrontation with Vict Falkor

We return to our heroes as they hide in one of Earl Vict Falkor's offices, only to find that it's guarded by mimics: an armoire-mimic, a bed-mimic, and a crate-mimic. They are minions, so the party makes quick work of them. During the battle, Sentie locates a switch to a secret door. Our heroes quickly decide to take the secret door and evade the guards searching the mansion.

The door opens on a tight stairway headed up. It leads to a room where the governess, Shammura the Blood Witch, is draining bodies of their blood—which is being pumped into an adjacent room. Shammura is aided by three cloth-and-flesh constructs, no doubt made from earlier victims. Two of the constructs are quickly dispatched, while Shammura launches bolts of necrotic energy at our heroes and the larger construct batters them around. Kodrak drops to 0 hit points but is saved by Renn. Eventually, Shammura is slain and the construct is doused in oil and set alight, which destroys it. A door opens to the adjacent room.

Heading to that room, our heroes discover a sack of blood hanging from the ceiling. It rips open and a massive clotted ball of blood falls to the floor. Some of it falls away to reveal Vict Falkor, now twenty feet tall, his body covered in horns, patches of hair, and additional faces. It's clear that he and Shammura were dabbling in vile blood magic, hybridizing Vict with the body parts of other creatures—bringing to mind the chimerical wolf-dragon the party had fought nearly two (in-game) weeks earlier.

Vict Falkor stands in the blood in the center of the room. Around him are four columns; as they become saturated with blood, they fall apart and empower the villain. Additionally, animated blood minions periodically drip from the ceiling, and Vict has a variety of legendary and lair effects. Our heroes battle Vict while (mostly) avoiding the blood and dodging necrotic gas clouds and other attacks. When the fourth column falls, wings erupt from Vict's back and a window opens in the ceiling. However, the party manages to dispatch the villain before he can take flight. During the battle, both Kodrak and Raehendra are doused in blood, causing damage that seemingly cannot be healed. Our heroes take Vict's head and move on to the next room.

This is a neatly organized study, with little more than a chest and a desk with parchments, quills, ink, and similar tools. The party puts the chest in their bag of holding and takes the sole door down to the kitchen, where three maids are cowering.

Here, our heroes discover that the mansion is on fire. There are two doors available to them, one to the dungeon and the other to a basement storeroom in the city—but it requires crossing a bridge, which has been destroyed.

The party investigates the dungeon and frees Gilles, a lackey imprisoned for daring to brush the Earl's horse. Also, the imp Hazephas is there, hiding inside a Modron's body. He admits that he was sent there to keep an eye on our heroes. But when Hazephas won't reveal his master's name, Barclay "kills" him, sending the imp back to his home.

From there, our heroes call on The Catamount to rescue them. In return for teleporting the party (along with Gilles and the three maids) to safety, Renn offers to kill a demon or devil of The Catamount's choosing.

The party is safer, but there is a riot in Falxmed and much of the city is on fire. Barclay contacts Muire, the Bartholomew & Company agent, who picks them up in a wagon. As our heroes leave town, the last thing they spot is a partially completed statue of Kodrak, the Lord of Backtooth Mountain.

Soundtrack:

• Atreyu, A Death-Grip on Yesterday [instrumental version] (2007)
• Hashshashin, nihsahshsaH (2016)
• Converge, "Jane Doe" from Jane Doe (2001)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Gilles, human, lackey
• Hazephas, imp, familiar
• Muire, human, Bartholomew & Company agent in Falxmed
• Shammura, human, the Blood Witch of Falxmed
• Vict Falkor, human, Earl of Falxmed
• 3 unnamed kitchen/scullery maids

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!

Campaign Journal #19: The Assassin

Our heroes have just spotted (or perhaps interrupted?) the assassin, a figure dressed as a plague doctor. The figure leaps from the window and opens a glider to escape.

Barclay follows the figure through the window, casting misty step to safely reach the ground. Kodrak jumps and falls, taking damage. Renn casts faerie fire at the figure, illuminating him for those giving chase, before turning back to investigate the room (along with Raehendra and Sentie).

The room searchers find a scrying device hidden on a high shelf. Sentie casts identify and learns that it must be paired to a receiving or watching device. Renn leaves to find another priest in the temple complex, to explain Tverdim's death and make sure they are not blamed for the murder.

Meanwhile, Barclay and Kodrak chase the assassin. Their pursuit leads them to a roomful of actual (plague) doctors attending night class; they helpfully point to where the culprit went. The assassin is quickly cornered and Barclay incapacitates him with suggestion, after which they return to the temple.

Our heroes interrogate the assassin, discovering that he is a kenku working for someone with glowing blue eyes. This person (being?) promised the kenku a name, but is likely stringing him along. Barclay gives him the temporary name Ainen, and he agrees to help the Iron Witch in Fellsdare. Ren casts speak with dead on the body of Tverdim, who confirms all of the information they know so far.

Barclay, Kodrak, Raehendra, and Sentie return to their inn room and introduce Ainen to Heyzzzel. Renn speaks with Dara, Grann's girlfriend, and advises her to lay low or leave town. He then returns to the inn room, where a letter is waiting for him:

Renn,

Good news! One of my agents has located and made contact with Liliani in Nevriath, a town near Suriidae on the Galdor Sea. She was with Decius and several guards—my man recognized a couple as former rangers. She may have been leading them, but my man could not be certain. Liliani would not speak with him, and in fact, urged him to stay away for his own safety. He is keeping his distance and will report immediately if the situation changes.

Bartholomew, via Muire

I shall prepare a coach in case you require one.

Muire

Renn casts speak with dead on the body of Grann, who also says that he was hired by someone with glowing blue eyes. He has little information about his final explosive statue, as he merely carved it and applied the magical runes but did not control it.

Our heroes rest at the inn and make for the Earl's manor around noon. They are shown to a waiting room, where they...wait. For hours. In time, they notice a mob of citizens outside the gates and an equal number of guards plus Dimir inside the gates, holding pikes. Everything is peaceful so far, though it won't last.

Sentie, who can read lips, spots a conversation between Dimir and a high-ranking guard. It seems that Earl Falkor has "begun his experiment" and Lady Shammura, ostensibly the governess, is keeping everyone out. The guard is given orders to kill our heroes, and he gathers a force to head inside. At that moment, a giant statue is seen running toward the manor—the final device. The citizens scatter as the statue dives at the gate and explodes. Dimir and many of the guards are killed. The high-ranking guard and his force were knocked down, but they get to their feet and head inside the manor.

The party leaves the waiting room and sneaks into another room, a bedroom/study, to hide. Sentie notices a secret door and they begin to look for a switch or button, as a crate licks Kodrak's leg—revealing that it is a mimic. An armoire-mimic and a bed-mimic also drop their disguises. We'll begin the next session with that battle!

Soundtrack:

None, due to "technical" issues (I forgot to hit play)

The Main Cast, our player characters:

• Barclay Stone (he/him), human bard (college of eloquence)
• Aevyr, his imp familiar
• Kodrak Kukkerlun (he/him), dwarven fighter (battle master)
• Raehendra Tiddlybumpkin (she/her), gnomish ranger (hunter)
• Renn Summerstar (he/him), elven cleric of Lioris (twilight domain)
• Sentie Rancis (they/them), human wizard (school of transmutation)

The Supporting Cast, non-player characters:

• Ainen, kenku, assassin
• Dara, human, Grann's girlfriend in Falxmed
• Dimir, viceroy of Falxmed
• Grann, human, sculptor/assassin in Falxmed
• Heyzzzel, gnome, artist
• Rana, frog jinn
• Tverdim, human, priest of Gaelid

See the full cast list at Campaigns in Elsemorn—now with photos of the miniatures used in the game!