S19. Axeholm Run! Report
General Summary
The nasty dwarven ghouls pressed through Flicker's Moonbeam growling and howling as they lit up with ghostly flames in the beam. Her badger barking and snarling at them as they swarm it looking for bloody flesh to devour. Giant Honey Badger don't take shit from no ghouls. Wolfean takes advantage of the badger's ferocity and drops a ghoul with a well-placed bolt from his hand crossbow. Through the southern doors another ghoul wearing more impressively lavish decayed rags has entered the room. Perhaps this one was once in charge of Axeholm, perhaps he is still in charge now. He screams and a wail echoes down through the windows high above as some other otherworldly creature seems to respond. The ghouls swarming the badger tear into it and it succumbs. But instead of providing fresh bloody meat for the ghouls, it vanishes. Damaia held back, feeling more a spectator than skirmisher until Eethyl handed her a magic stone to throw. She lobs it one of the ghouls and hits it right in the head. After all the ghouls Flicker could see had passed through the beam and it's spectral fire, she moved the beam to the boss-ghoul, wreathing him in supernatural fire as well. Charging out of the fire, it launched at self at Keth and Wolfaen, but they held the line at the western doors, as other ghouls moved in for the kill, too. With everyone working together with moonbeam (like the eye of Sauron), chill touches (and a dagger), magic stones, glaives, etc., soon the ghouls were all vanquished. They found an old journal that allowed them to piece together what happened in Axeholm.
Forewarned of a possible banshee, corroborated by the wails from the second floor, the party stops up their ears with some wax from candles in Wolfaen's pack, and prepared by the artificer. Damaia immediately got frustrated with the fact that no one could hear each other after that, and took her wax out and pitched it, then sat in a corner to wait for the antics to settle down. They explored the rest of the downstairs and then headed up. In a hall there appeared a ghostly figure of an elf woman. Indeed a banshee, so floated quickly into their midst and screamed "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!! GET OUT!!!" All but Damaia had the advantage of plugged ears, but the psychic damage of the scream affected the whole party. Some fell to the wail immediately, and feeling the wave of remorse wrack their minds and souls. Flicker, Fortune and Wolfaen. If the banshee defeats them all she will raise more ghouls from their dead corpses! Eethyl's hellish rebuke lashes back at the banshee, but he remains ready for action, as is Keth and Damaia. Damaia steps forward with her infused glaive and misses. With no rage left within her to power and protect her combat actions she is feeling desperate. Eethyl strikes out and deals some significant damage. Keth then takes a second to steel himself for the fight and then strikes out with Talon and a Booming Blade! The banshee reaches out with her corrupting touch but Eethyl ducks out of the way [the DM's dice were hosed up!]. The banshee retreats into the wall as the thundering boom of the Booming Blade goes off, wracking the banshee as it vanished into the walls, and Keth and Damaia took desperate attacks to hit her before she disappeared. Damaia was furious with missing that attack, but the banshee appeared in a side stairwell, and Damaia immediately closed the distance, recklessly attacking with her glaive again. NAT TWENTY! He magically infused blade pierced her veils and sundered her--her ghostly energies dispursing as she makes one last fading wail of misery...fading to nothingness... The heroes examined the upstairs chambers and found a swarm of stirges that were quite a bother, but they took care of them quickly, the little suckers... And then they found a secret room behind the fireplace where the stirges were nesting...and a heavy chest containing two magical items. They then, finding no way to where the Giant Spider was that Wolfaen saw earlier, they went back down, found another stair up and took it up into the webs. Here they fought and killed 3 giant spiders. With that, the site of Axeholm was secured! The party was free to rest and regain their strength...and they did.I don’t know what they were thinking actually allowing that moon elf in here! She is nothing but trouble. Ambassador, my spikey-toed boot! I think she’s here just to stir up trouble!The Journal of Blinder Biggenbilt
Ay! I knew it! That Vyldara tried to foment civil unrest amongst the clans. Bound together by the might of Moradin we are, though! I can’t wait for her trial."
Aach! They are sending her back! Just waiting for envoys to retrieve her, but I still don’t trust her!
Evil! She has killed Empy and Torn trying to escape! But Ordo and I took her down right quick! Elvish skill splits easy under the blades of our dwarven axes! Might to Moradin!
Strange sounds, like crying or wailing, is driving me to drink! No one knows where it comes from, perhaps steam in the pipes from the hot spring? Some that witch elf is haunting us. I don’t know.
Three of our kin died yesterday. That 7 total in a tenday. I saw the banshee m’self and barely got away! I am not willing to remain her. That witch can have the place! I am gathering my things and leaving with the others in the morning.
They are at the door. I don’t know if we are going to make it out of here. They are the most horrible thing I have ever seen. Their eyes burn like red coals. Their tongues have changed into 2-foot long snakes. And the stench! I can smell them as they claw at that door even now. There were only a few of them at first, but those they did not eat seem to have turned others just like them! And now they want to eat us. I fear I shall never see another day.
I think a few escaped. I hope they keep any others away. This place is now forever cursed! Oh by Moradin’s Anvil, they are finally breaking thr—”
The writing ends, and the page has splatters of dark dwarven blood.
Rewards Granted
Helmet that, when worn causes a dark and scare sight. The wearers eyes glow red, and shadow obscures the rest of the wearers face. Wolfaen chose to don the helm. Gauntlets that grant the wearer incredible strength that rivals Keth's own power. Damaia wears those gauntlets, and during their final rest she as attuned to their magic.
Missions/Quests Completed
Axeholm has been completed.
Character(s) interacted with
Ghouls and Banshees and Stirges, oh my! (and giant spiders)
