Session 28: Scott Red-handed
General Summary
With only Jake Scott to be retrieved, the party makes quick work of finding the missing painting. A worried Zat decides to come with them as they search for the missing member of her team. The party enters as the creeping blue veins expand throughout the mansion.
The party arrives in a devastated battlefield, and sees Jake Scott bearing the banner of the Last Guard, and standing against a horde of skeletal warriors. Zat becomes instantly nauseous at the sight of hundreds of corpses lining the battlefield, and the party discusses how best to retrieve Jake. The man in question hears them, and demands to know why the party are still here, and not having retreated like the rest of the Last Guard. The party tries to convince Jake to leave, but the staunch loyalist refuses to move, and affirms that if the party should try anything, he will consider them his enemy. William tries to use his fine bottle of dwarven brandy as a peace offering, but when he takes a step too close, Jake knocks the bottle to the ground with his blade. This pisses William off, and as the horde of skeletons bash their shields and begin their march, the party finds themselves in an awkward place.
Arrows begin flying from the back-lines of the skeletal army, raining down on William and Jake as the two brawl. Coming up with a quick plan, Nil-enor heats the metal in Jake's banner, forcing him to drop it, and before he can draw his blade, William and Gul'Khaan grab onto the man to restrain him. Meanwhile Phaeradina launches bolt after bolt into the oncoming swarm, unable to do more than stop one or two skeletons. As the party tries to move Jake and head back towards the entry point, falling arrows hit Gul, William and Jake, and the heavily injured Gul drops.
Pharedina takes hold of Jake, and with Zat on her back, makes her way towards the doorway. Meanwhile, William picks up the unconscious Gul, and moves towards the door. But bad turns to worse, as a distant roar quickly turns to the menacing image of Tianlong, the Looming Shadow, dragon commander of the skeletal army. Fear in their hearts, the party makes a mad dash for the doorway, and escapes the painting with fire on their backs, leaving behind only Zat's blade and the banner.
A prayer to Ephine, and Gul'khaan coughs up blood and returns to consciousness, but it hardly seem their trouble is done. Baroness Maria is stood in the foyer of her mansion, staring deep into a portrait of her late wife, as the veins of the stone have now taken over almost a third of the entire mansion. Phaeradina tries to convince Maria that her wife would not want to see her this way, and that she should give up the stone, in order to join her wife. Maria, with a pointed look to Nil-enor, is not convinced that the stone will not just be used to curse others the way she has been. It takes almost the whole party, but eventually, Maria relents, and Phaeradina promises not to let the stone be used for misdeeds. With the stone in hand, Phaeradina, Nil-enor, William, Gul'khaan, Zat, Raikira, Jindaar and Jake run from the mansion, and find themselves back in the silence of the yard.
The veins creep outwards and upwards, beginning to cover the whole of the mansion as the piano plays the Baroness' waltz one last time. Once the entire mansion is covered, something beautiful occurs: those glowing white moths, begin erupting from the top of the mansion, the building itself seemingly mad of thousands of the bugs. As they fly outward, they pierce the barrier that has been keeping the party in, and the party begins to hear the outside world again. As the entire structure of the mansion fades away, the party sees the baroness, waltzing with a smile on her face. And for a moment, it seemed as though the moths made up another silhouette dancing with her one last time, before the entire mansion is replaced by moths. And then, they are gone, and the party slowly turns to see the people of Muli and the Guild, jaws agape in stunned silence. Then, Ulaan begins a raging cheer, and the people follow.
And then, perhaps for what happened in the painting, or perhaps for what was said out of it, Jake decks William, sending the tiefling unconscious to the ground.
The party arrives in a devastated battlefield, and sees Jake Scott bearing the banner of the Last Guard, and standing against a horde of skeletal warriors. Zat becomes instantly nauseous at the sight of hundreds of corpses lining the battlefield, and the party discusses how best to retrieve Jake. The man in question hears them, and demands to know why the party are still here, and not having retreated like the rest of the Last Guard. The party tries to convince Jake to leave, but the staunch loyalist refuses to move, and affirms that if the party should try anything, he will consider them his enemy. William tries to use his fine bottle of dwarven brandy as a peace offering, but when he takes a step too close, Jake knocks the bottle to the ground with his blade. This pisses William off, and as the horde of skeletons bash their shields and begin their march, the party finds themselves in an awkward place.
Arrows begin flying from the back-lines of the skeletal army, raining down on William and Jake as the two brawl. Coming up with a quick plan, Nil-enor heats the metal in Jake's banner, forcing him to drop it, and before he can draw his blade, William and Gul'Khaan grab onto the man to restrain him. Meanwhile Phaeradina launches bolt after bolt into the oncoming swarm, unable to do more than stop one or two skeletons. As the party tries to move Jake and head back towards the entry point, falling arrows hit Gul, William and Jake, and the heavily injured Gul drops.
Pharedina takes hold of Jake, and with Zat on her back, makes her way towards the doorway. Meanwhile, William picks up the unconscious Gul, and moves towards the door. But bad turns to worse, as a distant roar quickly turns to the menacing image of Tianlong, the Looming Shadow, dragon commander of the skeletal army. Fear in their hearts, the party makes a mad dash for the doorway, and escapes the painting with fire on their backs, leaving behind only Zat's blade and the banner.
A prayer to Ephine, and Gul'khaan coughs up blood and returns to consciousness, but it hardly seem their trouble is done. Baroness Maria is stood in the foyer of her mansion, staring deep into a portrait of her late wife, as the veins of the stone have now taken over almost a third of the entire mansion. Phaeradina tries to convince Maria that her wife would not want to see her this way, and that she should give up the stone, in order to join her wife. Maria, with a pointed look to Nil-enor, is not convinced that the stone will not just be used to curse others the way she has been. It takes almost the whole party, but eventually, Maria relents, and Phaeradina promises not to let the stone be used for misdeeds. With the stone in hand, Phaeradina, Nil-enor, William, Gul'khaan, Zat, Raikira, Jindaar and Jake run from the mansion, and find themselves back in the silence of the yard.
The veins creep outwards and upwards, beginning to cover the whole of the mansion as the piano plays the Baroness' waltz one last time. Once the entire mansion is covered, something beautiful occurs: those glowing white moths, begin erupting from the top of the mansion, the building itself seemingly mad of thousands of the bugs. As they fly outward, they pierce the barrier that has been keeping the party in, and the party begins to hear the outside world again. As the entire structure of the mansion fades away, the party sees the baroness, waltzing with a smile on her face. And for a moment, it seemed as though the moths made up another silhouette dancing with her one last time, before the entire mansion is replaced by moths. And then, they are gone, and the party slowly turns to see the people of Muli and the Guild, jaws agape in stunned silence. Then, Ulaan begins a raging cheer, and the people follow.
And then, perhaps for what happened in the painting, or perhaps for what was said out of it, Jake decks William, sending the tiefling unconscious to the ground.
Missions/Quests Completed
Completed: The Tragedy of the Baroness
Report Date
19 Sep 2021
Primary Location
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