OAWYM: Prison Bound

Game Date: 6/3/2017
Location: The Game Keep
Campaign: OAWYM, Session 30
Module: Scourge of the Slave Lords
System: D&D 5e
DM: Rusty

The Party:
Byzun (Gary) - Human Sorcerer
Halfbeard (Gary, subbing for Cliff) - Dwarf Fighter
Karzen (Daniel) - Eladrin Artificer
Val Ravensword (Matt) - Half-Orc Paladin
Xevrick (Graham) - Elf Mystic

The Session:
Last week we were rescued by some Leprechauns.  Among their number was an Eladrin Artificer named Karzen, who joined our party.  He has a large mechanical panther as a companion. 

We went through a few more hallways.  Val set off a spike trap while opening a door, taking a few points of damage.  A few halls later we reached a very large room with columns supporting a high ceiling.  In the center of the room was an Ankylosaurus.  On the far side of the room was a throne, upon which sat a large undead gnoll. The throne was flanked by six gnolls and six ghouls.  Shortly after the battle started, five more gnolls appeared from behind some columns.

It looked like it was going to be a hard fight, but nothing was what it appeared to be.  Karzen shot the dinosaur, which broke an illusion, revealing it to be a rust monster.  Xevrick then killed the rust monster before it had a chance to harm anyone's equipment.  Karzen later hit the undead gnoll, which turned out to be just some robed guy.  The rest of the gnolls and ghouls also turned out to be easier than they looked.

Twice the boss tried to hit us with spells, only for Byzun to stop them with a counterspell.  Halfbeard dealt the killing blow to the boss, and we spent a couple of more rounds mopping up the remaining foes.  We searched the room, and found a secret door.  We took a long rest to level up, and went through the door. 

It led outside.  We found ourselves high up on the mountain, on a path that wound around and downward. We looked up and saw a watchtower on the mountain's peak.  We used a combination of flying and climbing to reach the watchtower, then we climbed/flew some more to get to the top.  As we peeked over the top of the tower, we saw two guards.  Xevrick hit both of them with psionic blast, doing 36 damage.  Turns out they only had 4 hit points.  Oh well, there's no kill like an overkill.

We waited until morning so we could see better, then climbed back down.  The path eventually led to a guarded door.  On the right side of the path was a cliff wall, and the left side was a long drop (anyone remember the computer game Test Drive?)  We spent a long time deciding whether to walk to the door, climb down and back up, or climb up and back down.  Finally we just took the direct route.

Test Drive

Most of our party wore Iron Circle robes, while Halfbeard and Val pretended to be prisoners.  A guard stopped us halfway to the door, and Xevrick used a Jedi mind trick to convince him it was a prisoner transfer.  The doorway led us back underground.  After a bit of traveling, we came up through a hole, and found ourselves on an island.

The island had two major buildings - a well-guarded compound and a castle.  There was also a shantytown, some docks, and a volcanic crater.  We took the road to the compound first, but it looked too difficult to attempt.  We kept walking until we reached the castle.  Once again, we were stopped by guards.  Our act wasn't quite as convincing this time, but it got us in.

They took Val and Halfbeard to the dungeons, where they tortured them to death and resurrected them for more torture.  Meanwhile, they interviewed Xevrick, Byzun, and Karzen, using a Zone of Truth spell.  The spell meant our party had to word their answers very carefully.  It helped that Xevrick and Karzen joined the party after we became wanted, but Byzun had to be especially careful with his responses.

Our party presented themselves as bounty hunters, who were turning Val and Halfbeard in for a reward.  The Iron Circle interviewers offered them a position in their organization, and gave them exquisite rooms to stay for the night.  Later that night, Byzun, Xevrick, and Karzen tried to sneak downstairs to find the dungeons.  They found guards waiting outside their rooms, who were instructed to keep them from wandering.

Xevrick distracted one guard while Byzun and Karzen tried to sneak down the hall.  They were stopped almost immediately, and the fighting started.  At first it was just four guards, but more kept coming.  They took out a few guards and made their way down to the next floor, but higher level reinforcements kept them from getting much further.

After a long battle, Byzun and Karzen went down, and Xevrick surrendered.  We ended the session there, with everyone captured.  Reminder: Halfbeard and Val are currently under the effects of a Resurrection Ordeal: -4 to Attack rolls, Saves, and Ability Checks.  This penalty will be reduced by 1 after each long rest.