Monday, May 19, 2014

Under a Dark Sun: Session 15

Session 15: (1/28/14)

Adventure name: Last Stand at Outpost Three - Follow-Up

Current PCs / NPCs
Grom Dunestalker - Half-Giant Psionic Warrior (PC)
Lain - Half-Elf Bard (NPC)
Sadiria - Half-Elf Wilder (NPC)
Russk - Mul (stated as a Half-Orc) Fighter (NPC)

We find the party waiting for Lain to return from his headlong flight from the Red Tower.  Upon his return, Lain says nothing, but manages to look regretful about his cowardice. 

The heroes move on up to the next floor of the tower.  Most of the walls have fallen away on this level, with only a few central pillars supporting the floor(s) above.As they exit the stairwell, the group hears the swish of wings and the growl of a predator....they are not alone.  As the party spreads out in the "room", a sinuous amalgam of wings does a fly-by of the tower, releasing a jolt of electricity from it's body as it passes.  The bolt narrowly misses the party members, harmlessly grounding out on one of the pillars.  As the creature comes around for another pass, the party begins readying their bows and spears to assault it flies by.  They all fail miserably.  Luckily, Lain has by now summoned a trio of hawks, which he uses to stop the avian monster in its tracks.  The hawks gang up on the creature and manage to inflict massive injuries.  Soon enough, the beast is finally slain, with Grom the only party member to have taken significant injuries.

Proceeding up the ladder to the tower's top-most remaining floor, they see a paunchy man wearing loose robes and standing behind a cluttered desk.  The man tires to warn the party to not involve themselves in his business, but they choose to ignore his advice.  Before they can move against him, he blasts the party with an mental assault, leaving Lain stupefied for much of the battle.  He must be a Mind-bender!

Grom moves around the desk and engages with the enemy, manifesting his Expansion power, and growing even larger than before.  Russk moves to flank, jump/sliding over the desk (Dukes of Hazard-style).  Grom lashes out with his greatsword, but the mind-bender flings his hand up at the last second and the blow deflects off some kind of barrier. Sadiria spends the battle in mental combat with the man, but he continually rebuffs her attempt to assault his mind.  Russk manages to land a solid blow, but then the mind-bender saps the mul's will, forcing him to attack is fellow party members.  Grom is forced to cut Russk down, and before he can lay back into the psionicist, the man throws himself out the near-by window, swearing vengeance.  The mind-bender lands gently, no doubt due to his psionic abilities.

A search of the desk reveals clay tablets and ancient scrolls covered in writing that will need to be investigated, as well as a strange, 4-lobed key.

The key, it turns out, is to the locked door leading to the tower's basement.  Open the door, the party sees a swirling cloud of vapors, with screaming faces fading in and out of view in the cloud.  Realizing the error that would be engaging this creature, the party retreats out of the room and locks the door.

Outstanding Plot Hooks:
•           Who was the mysterious mind-bender that the party fought in the Red Tower?
•           Will our party finally be able to set out for Urik and get the payout from their caravan?


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