Session 25: The Tower of Dresden
General Summary
Upon arriving outside of Fernhaven at the edge of the Sheilwald, the party decided to not waste any time. They begin their journey towards Dresden’s Tower, the place where they would hopefully meet Lazarus. During these past weeks Nacklenook had been avid in his attempts to get them an edge in the coming battle with the help of his magical ring, but to no avail. As they approached the abandoned wizard’s tower, Heiwa noticed that the bad weather they had seemed to originate from the tower and was magical in nature. They surmised that the tower was indeed not abandoned, and that it most likely was the work of their nemesis.
In order to get more information the party decided to sent Heiwa and Nacklenook to infiltrate through the balcony on the top level of the tower. The pair jumped out of the Mourningstars open top and silently glid their way onto the balcony. As they peered in through the giant portcullises, they saw a man that could very much fit the description of Lazarus. They couldn’t be sure, however, since neither Nacklenook or Heiwa had actually met the vampire before. Neither had they ever seen the man that the supposed vampire was talking to through the magical mirror. They could, however, be certain that the weather was being manipulated by the giant magical vortex in the centre of the room. Heiwa did also manage to listen in on their conversation regarding their plans and the fact that some group they both hated had been setting them back. The man who might or might not have been Lazarus assured his companion that all would be well as soon as the Nachtigalls arrived. They then began some form of ritual on the mirror.
Having heard enough Heiwa and Nacklenook flew off, but soon realised that they had no idea of where the Mourningstar had made landfall, since they never agreed to a location. But thanks to some light signals by Mikum, they were soon reunited and could begin their scheming. In the end they birthed a plan they called Operation Nightfall. They would split up into two groups, making landfall on either side of the tower. There they would jump the vampire, kill him quickly and then disperse. As night came, they flew out to put their plan into motion, but as Heiwa and Nacklenook provided some final reconnaissance they suddenly remembered the barrels of gunpowder they had stored on in the wagon. When Heiwa returned, they quickly devised a new plan which they named Operation Parting Gift.
As the Mourningstar flew closer to the window and slowed down, the party opened up their full wrath. Heiwa filled the tower with daylight and Nacklenook shot a crossbow bolt in between Lazarus’ eyes. The vampire reacted with lightning speed and fell back, but not far enough. Thomas, Mikum and Ushrir each threw a barrel with a lit fuse, one of which landed and exploded right underneath the vampire’s feet. Lazarus fell down to the floor below and vanished from sight. The party flew around the tower before disembarking to go after the vampire, but were halted in their tracks by the undead summoned in the tower, despite the fact that Heiwa charged into them in the shape of a rhino. Thomas and Mikum, on the other hand, ran up to the hole into which Lazarus had vanished. But whilst Thomas stopped and looked down, Mikum jumped into the hole without hesitation and too vanished into the misty darkness.
Soon thereafter Lazarus reappeared from the lower floor, with a crown, a sceptre topped with a dwarf’s head, and a sword covered in black flames. All of these items seemed to be infused with shards. With blinding speed Lazarus fell upon Thomas, who narrowly managed to get loose as the vampire bit his neck. At the same time Mikum came back up the stairs from the lower floor, with empty unblinking eyes. The real fight was about to begin.
