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  1. - Top - End - #391
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    Wild North Yonder

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Quote Originally Posted by PrismCat21 View Post
    Why does Sona keep trying to ruin your fun? Doesn't she understand that you have a thirst for depraved and sadistic acts that only your players can quench?
    ... I'm just trying to stay alive?
    And keep my allies alive?

    This is not the game to taunt the GM lol.
    Even if Sona is game to taunt hand picked servants of what's left of the Artaithian Pantheon. Lol

  2. - Top - End - #392
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Lake Jackson, TX

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Bwahaha :P
    Spoiler: relevantpicture
    Show
    Last edited by PrismCat21; 2017-08-16 at 05:50 PM.

  3. - Top - End - #393
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    The Frozen North
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    No game this weekend because I was brain-fried and wiped from work-schtuff, unfortunately. Maybe a makeup session this coming weekend depending on people's schedule, and whether or not I go to a tournament, we shall see.
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  4. - Top - End - #394
    Titan in the Playground
     
    danielxcutter's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2016
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    Seoul
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    Male

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Quote Originally Posted by curious-puzzle View Post
    No game this weekend because I was brain-fried and wiped from work-schtuff, unfortunately. Maybe a makeup session this coming weekend depending on people's schedule, and whether or not I go to a tournament, we shall see.
    It's okay. RL problems take precedence.
    Cool elan Illithid Slayer by linkele.

    Editor/co-writer of Magicae Est Potestas, a crossover between Artemis Fowl and Undertale. Ao3 FanFiction.net DeviantArt
    We also have a TvTropes page!

    Currently playing: Red Hand of Doom(campaign journal) Campaign still going on, but journal discontinued until further notice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    I could write a lengthy explanation, but honestly just what danielxcutter said.
    Extended sig here.

  5. - Top - End - #395
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    The Frozen North
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    I swear this isn't dead!

    Probably won't have the last update finished tomorrow, so instead it will be a double-sized update after saturday's game!
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  6. - Top - End - #396
    Titan in the Playground
     
    danielxcutter's Avatar

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    Jul 2016
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    Seoul
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    Male

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Quote Originally Posted by curious-puzzle View Post
    I swear this isn't dead!

    Probably won't have the last update finished tomorrow, so instead it will be a double-sized update after saturday's game!
    Jeeze, it's been a while... glad to see that you guys are still doing this though.
    Cool elan Illithid Slayer by linkele.

    Editor/co-writer of Magicae Est Potestas, a crossover between Artemis Fowl and Undertale. Ao3 FanFiction.net DeviantArt
    We also have a TvTropes page!

    Currently playing: Red Hand of Doom(campaign journal) Campaign still going on, but journal discontinued until further notice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    I could write a lengthy explanation, but honestly just what danielxcutter said.
    Extended sig here.

  7. - Top - End - #397
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    ElfWarriorGuy

    Join Date
    Mar 2013

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Quote Originally Posted by curious-puzzle View Post
    I swear this isn't dead!

    Probably won't have the last update finished tomorrow, so instead it will be a double-sized update after saturday's game!
    Have to say i've read quite a few campaign journals and yours is definitely among the best. Anyhow take your time and I am looking forward to reading it.

  8. - Top - End - #398
    Dwarf in the Playground
    Join Date
    Nov 2014

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Double post, looking forward to it.

  9. - Top - End - #399
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    The Frozen North
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    Male

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Thanks, Belgarath345! Glad the game is an entertaining read for you.

    And now a double-sized update of sessions 47 and 48!

    Spoiler: After that goblin!
    Show
    After a brief moment to catch their collective breaths, the party agrees that they need to find a way into the cubes that doesn't involve violence (cause those spell turrets are painful). There's hemming and hawing and discussion of teleportation, while Talvosh is distracted and watching the occasional will'o'wisp light flit in and out of the cubes. Then one brushes right up against the orc, and he reflexively snatches it (invisible miss chance and all!) and crushes the creature with a squelch. Either by accident or following a hunch, Talvosh walks right up close to the side of the cube, and the hatch slides open silently in the midst of the group's discussions. With a bit more grotesque experimentation, it's confirmed that the messy corpse in fact acts as a key.

    With flying spells still running, they float carefully into the deathtrap library storage cubes.

    It's just as Puck had seen earlier, a 30'x30' room with all the walls almost entirely covered with bookshelves. There are even shelves hanging from the ceiling, stuffed to almost overflowing. There are 5-ft sections roughly in the center of each wall (and the ceiling) however that are bare, making it fairly obvious where the hatches to either the outside or to other cubes are. Spotter hunkers down and looks for signs of which way the elusive little goblin went. Most people would have no chance of tracking a light-footed and light-fingered goblin through bare steel rooms (especially this goblin), but Spotter is not most people. With a + LOTS to survival, he quickly spots a smudge by one of the hatches.

    "That way." And off the gang goes! The next room has bookshelves circling the center of the room instead of being on the walls, but it's just as eerily quiet. Being somewhat paranoid, Spotter tosses a normal arrow into the center of the room - and watches as it silently floats up to the ceiling and is just as silently torn to splinters by spinning blades that emerge from said ceiling.

    Who said paranoia is a bad thing?

    After some more careful searching avoiding the center, the gang finds a hastily written note slipped into one of the bookshelves.
    Spoiler: Ze note in Goblin script
    Show
    Plenty to go around. Leave us be, and we'll do the same
    After a brief false start, Spotter realizes that the goblin must have went up...between the slashing and chopping blades (using a rope attached to the bookshelves to guide himself through the reversed gravity). With some careful maneuvering and bracing, the chase continues. A very slow, tense chase because no-one has trapfinding and these cubes are horribly nerve-wracking, but a chase nonetheless. It's difficult for Spotter to spot any signs because a)the floor and walls are bare polished steel, and b)the goblin is actively trying to obfuscate and confuse his trail, but the determined tracker-bot keeps on target. There's a couple incidents throughout the rooms, including a turret trying to unload on the party point-blank after Sona plucks a book off the shelf randomly (there's no more talk of looting after that), and a couple more narrowly avoided traps.

    However, a poor roll finally leads Spotter astray, and Puck searches around a seemingly plain room with several bookshelves. It smells faintly of oil and ozone, however...Puck has been the one bearing the Will'o'wisp corpse, so nothing happens while he's in the room alone. As soon as Spotter hops into the room though, every book explodes into individual pages! Which are actually made of metal, and razor sharp, and start spinning around in little dervishes of razor blades and lightning crackles.

    The shred-storms float towards Spotter menacingly, but quick reflexes has him scrabbling back for the entrance, and Puck bodily shields him, minimizing the damage. Once Spotter is back out of the room, the storms slowly settle down, and click back into place, once again the appearance of full bookshelves. It's been probably 30 min at least of searching through the cubes when Puck receives a tickle in the back of his mind.

    "There's more than enough to share. No need to kill each other. Meet in far southwest third level cube to talk peacefully."

    After a bit of debate whether to tell anyone else, Puck is a good teammate and tells everyone else about the Sending. Slowly and carefully, the group makes their way to the cube specified after a bit of orienteering. Flying/climbing/clambering in, the party finds a large table separating them from a crew almost as motley weird strange "eclectic" as them.

    There's 3 people on the other side - an elf, a human, and a hobgoblin. The hobgoblin wears unremarkable light armor, has what seems to be a double-scimitar slung across his back, and has that casual tenseness that screams "martially trained." The elf has messy black hair, and is wearing an impressive profusion of bangles, charms, and torcs on each arm, but seems to be unarmed. Finally, the human is a massive specimen, arms and chest straining at his chain armor. He also looks positively miserable, with an almost comically square lantern jaw set in a perpetual scowl. The hilt of some unpleasant weapon juts over an oversized shoulder. After a tense moment, the two parties start talking. The elf's name is Haearnbydd, and he seems to take the lead in speaking. The hobgoblin is Kron, and the scowling human is Gunter. Turns out this group of adventurers are indeed here to loot and plunder, but they're more than willing to share scavenger's rights with the party. Puck and Sona scan the party with detect magic and the battlevisor, and they've got a good spread of magical gear, along with some heavy illusion magic on Gunter.

    Sona and Angelena are the most diplomatic of the group, explaining their purpose and why they need these looters to leave the library. Spotter is talkative as well, but much more blunt and simply demanding that the other adventurers need to leave. Talvosh and Puck...just kind of finger their weapon hilts and stare somewhat psychotically. Gunter stares back just as crazily, while Kron is much more measured. Haearn is more than a little disparaging of the whole "Pilgrim's Path" prophecy and info about the Curse, stating that he found himself among the goblins, and then came here with the other members of his group to "find the biggest and baddest fiend to bind to himself as insurance." As a display of trust, Haearn also encourages their 4th party member to reveal himself. Out of the corner steps a dark-skinned goblin with a crossbow almost as big as him slung across his back, and Sona and Puck do a double take. There is nothing but a sliver of a shadow in that corner, and they both scanned there. Where the flark was he hiding? Spotter and the Goblin (Paddy according to Haearn) share an 80s action movie nod of mutual respect for each other's tracking and hiding skills.

    There's a brief bit of an impasse - Haearn flat out admits to being greedy and mercenary, and wants something in return for doing as the party requests. Talvosh and Puck start eyeing each other and start getting a little more twitchy, but Sona's straightforward explanation of what they've learned about the Labyrinth/ Curse plus Angelena's honesty manage to sway Haearn (plus the promise that the looters don't have to stay away permanently). With a snarky joke about how murder-happy some of the party looks, Haearn clasps hands with his party, and they disappear with a flash.

    ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: WAIT, YOU CAN SOLVE PROBLEMS WITHOUT VIOLENCE???



    Spoiler: Going down
    Show
    The gang announces out loud that they've solved Pathos' issue, which the intelligence is quite interested by. Pathos had been making comments on the party's progress randomly, either poking fun, demanding status updates, or just occasionally asking bizarre and / or insane questions. After the gang mentions that there were some intruders that were taken care of, Pathos is creepily eager to "see the mangled bodies." it's somewhat sulky and disappointed when told there are no bodies. The party has made their way out of the cubes as they're saying it, and they watch as a swarm of wisps flit in and out of the cubes. A few minutes later the lights all fly out, and Pathos grudgingly admits that the cubes are empty.

    "Well, I suppose you've done a good job. Thank you, you can go now."

    Wait...what about the sixth level?

    "There's no problem in the sixth level, time for you to go."

    Strangely enough, the party is skeptical. Spotter and Puck in particular (and Sona, though more restrained) have had enough of the unbalanced construct, and agree that they're going down regardless of what Pathos says.

    "Don't say I didn't warn you." This final statement from Pathos is far calmer, far colder than his normally near-hysteria tone. With that, there is silence.

    Since most of the party's flying magic is close to expended, the combo of Puck+the spool of endless rope is required to get the party up out of the sub-library. Everyone makes their checks, though there is a brief close call. The tunnel is much quieter than before, the capacitors that were crackling with power before are down to a bare hum. Once they get back to the main shaft, it is ghostly silent. The lights are out, the wisps are no longer bobbing back and forth, the only noise is the echo of their footsteps and breathing.

    Once again, Spider-Puck and endless rope to the rescue! He manages to skitter his way down and across to the entrance tunnel to the sixth library, and braces himself with the rope. Spotter is up first and ziplines his way across using his bow, which gives enough style points that it just takes a tumble check to roll his momentum off once he reaches the end of the ship. The rest of the party isn't as confident about their grip, so Sona polymorphs into a large Cloaker and wraps Angelena up in her tail, while Talvosh uses another charge of his boots to fly across. With a little bit less confidence (the silence is starting to get to them), they advance into the darkness. Sending Spotter up ahead to scout, he is usual the Night thanks to his hide and move silent checks being silly high. Creeping up, he notices some dull red light pulsing irregularly ahead. Where before there had been the capacitors one level up, here there is what looks almost like a...giant spectral heart? He can also hear the arrhythmic beating at the edge of his senses. Creeping back, the party does a little bit of healing/preparing, and then they all move up. As soon as they get within 80 ft, the heart lurches up into the air and begins glowing a multitude of different colors! The Prismatic golem (alignment changed to evil and DR changed to /Lawful) floats forward, and two spectral figures jitter into existence behind it!

    The advanced Allips don't last too long, even being incorporeal, but they do manage to fascinate and then smack Spotter for some wisdom drain. The Prismatic golem, however, is an issue. High AC, incorporeal, immune to any magic that allows SR, multiple damage types...they're kind of nasty. However, the party still has electricity resistance 30, and I roll either electricity damage or insanity on Puck basically every hit. Eventually the golem is punctured with a wail...a wail that builds louder and louder, until a giant fang-filled maw and blazing eyes rockets out of the darkness at the party!

    It's an illusion, but still startling and kind of creepy. After that bit of eerie shenenigans, our heroes continue onwards. Once again they come to the edge of the tunnel, and it's again a 50 ft drop or so to a giant block of cubes. They look sort of...different, though. Using the last bit of easily accessible flight magic, everyone manages to land on top of the cubes - which have an unpleasantly fleshy give to them. Walking across the somewhat spongy surface, the party doesn't see or hear anything hostile. At least until Spotter creeps to the far side and peers over to see two of the giant creepy heart-things down at the base of the cubes.

    It's agreed that the golems need to be taken care of, but Spotter is maybe a little hasty as he shoots an arrow down between both of the hearts to get their attention. Both shudder upwards with the creepy off-kilter beating, and rocket the 150 ft upwards with surprising speed! Initiative!

    This fight is a bit tougher for the gang, as about the best the party can hope for is a 50/50 chance to hurt the prismatic hearts (as Sona's force go-to, Wings of Flurry, allows SR). I keep rolling electricity for damage, or Insanity when touching Puck however, so the party doesn't take a ton of damage as they're chopping away at the hearts. A turret springing up out of the cubes behind the party doesn't help matters, either. And this turret seems to have a grudge against Sona, managing to Maze her (since I had goofed last time and given her a save). She manages to save a couple rounds later, but that's just in time to get Flensed! The fight is mostly over by that point without anyone in too critical health levels (persisted lesser vigor means practically every fight starts at full health), but she fails several times and ends up taking 9(!) points of charisma damage as an unseen magical razor takes chunks out of her. Two Lesser restorations thanks to a pearl of power but her mostly back to functioning though.

    Spoiler: DM NOTE
    Show
    This is where session 47 ended


    After Sona recovers from the sensation of being magically skinned alive (Talvosh scoffs a little, he made all his saves the couple times he got Flensed), Spotter peeks over the other three edges of the cubes, and sees two glowing hearts on the base of each side...so another six of those things. A suggestion to aggro them all simultaneously is summarily rejected, and everyone quietly debates what to do next. After a couple minutes, there is a soft and very creepy noise much like flesh being sliced, as a hatch opens a few feet away from the party.



    Spoiler: Reality is relative
    Show
    There's a brief pause as everyone stares at the hatch opening of its own volition, but no hideous monstrosities come clambering out. Spotter gets voted as point again, and he sneaks up to peek down the opening (carefully keeping out of face-snatching distance). It appears to be just like the other cubes the party has seen, but older and more weathered.

    Spoiler: DM NOTE
    Show
    I mutter, "Think 40% Silent Hill," and ooohh the looks I get


    Puck decides to check it out with a DYNAMIC ENTRANCE, and dives in...and falls the 30 feet to the floor with a deafening CCLLLAANNNGGG. Said clang echoes in the oppressive silence repeatedly, and everyone winces in anticipation of something being roused by the noise. Shoulders and nerves relax as the noise fades without any alarms or attacks, and then tighten back up as the echoing clang starts to get louder. And louder. Until it's practically louder than the original noise and reverberating around everywhere-

    -then silence. Only a little creepy...

    Puck can't see anything unusual in the cube, just more books, though they're much dustier and aged-looking than others. One shelf tingles with a bit of magic, so Puck tosses one of the books up to Spotter. He flips to a random page, which has a large and morbid illustration of people fighting in a city street. The sun seems to be practically blown out in the background, and there's a small message underneath the illustration.

    "Eventually the sun will go out. Everything will fade. Nothing will remain. So what's the point of pretending like anything or anyone actually matters, or is actually real?"

    Cheerful! Sona and Angelena peer over his shoulder at the grim artwork. There's a lot of detail in the illustration...one figure in particular is bashing someone else's head in with a heavy mace. They're wearing full plate, and have a shield emblazoned with a sunburst. It looks a lot like Angelena...

    As they look more closely, it becomes clear that it is Angelena, though with an absolutely manic expression on her face. It's so detailed that Angelena can practically taste the spray of blood across her lips...

    It's at this point that I call for Will saves, and everyone passes, freaking out and hurling the book back down into the cube. Puck picks it up and flips to the same page. The poor book doesn't even get a chance to start its shpiel against the immune Puck before he goes, "Neat!" and stuffs it into his rucksack.

    PUCK ACQUIRES CREEPY BOOK

    The rest of the party makes their way into the cube at this point with a combination of rope and a bit of parkour. The cube seems to be the same as the others before, just much older and more worn-down. Pathos pipes up again, with that much colder and measured tone once more.

    "So why exactly are you here?"

    Puck's player presents this as his answer

    I can't really knock it, but the actual answer is more along the lines of, "We're trying to fix you," and "trying to find the portraits that allow teleportation to other cities and fires." Pathos seems to have shifted gears from "Mercurial and murderously whimsical" to "stone-cold and super creepy", but he's just as not-helpful as before. Perhaps even less as he insinuates that the party is being manipulated, and that they reeeaallllyyy should turn back.

    "You won't like what you find down there." Sona and Spotter are left threatening and kicking at the walls in irritation again as the voice disappears. I think the mission at this point has shifted from, "cure Pathos" to "break Pathos into itty bitty pieces and see what can be recovered from the wreckage." Spotter notices a hatch leading to another cube, but it's down in the corner, and quite narrow and cramped. A kick manages to slide it open with a rusty squeal, and Spotter squeezes and crawls his way in. The short tunnel leads to another cube, but there's a tall bookshelf butted right up against the wall, forcing Spotter to immediately stand up and side-step/slide his way to the side, around the shelf, and then between another two claustrophobic shelves. Spotter wriggles his way through, then examines the room. All the bookshelves have been dragged and slid to the one side, gouges evident in the floor. Gazing back at the impromptu little barricade, Spotter makes his Wisdom check and realizes something strange.

    When he had went through the tunnel, the outer wall of the cube was directly against his right side. But when he stood up and maneuvered his way around the bookshelves, he went to the right. He...shouldn't have been able to do that;he would have been outside the cubes. This realization is a little unnerving. He calls for the rest of the party to come through, but there's no response.

    Meanwhile back on the other side, the rest of the party calls for Spotter to come back, but no response. Puck and Talvosh suddenly notice that the ceiling hatch they had entered through is gone. Ruh roh. Spotter returns a moment later, and then the whole gang crawls their way through (Puck going last as he's a really tight squeeze). Sona decides not to peek in any of the older looking books considering what just happened. There's a hatch in the floor, complete with a big rusty submarine-style wheel to turn. It squeals with every turn, and opens to reveal a steel ladder going down a pitch-black shaft. Puck is the first down, and while it groans and pings threateningly, the ladder stays intact for all 100 feet. Puck can see more tall bookshelves, and a much higher ceiling than previous rooms, but doesn't wander too far while the rest of the party clambers down. Angelena is down next, travelling the 90 ft quickly. As the rest of the party arrives, they spread out around the large bookshelf. There's several more bookshelves, then a large wooden table. Further past that are two chairs with what seem to be cloth-wrapped corpses sitting in them. Both are wearing featureless steel masks, with only eyeholes. As Spotter calls out that he's seen possible enemies, both look up with a fell light in their eyes. Initiative!

    Spotter's up first, and plugs the Salt mummy in the left chair full of arrows, then steps back out of sight behind a bookshelf. This leaves only Angelena and Puck currently visible, after a quick confirmation that Puck did want to be in sight (so he could charge on his turn). This is a good thing for Angelena, as it means the Grisgol in the other chair hits them with 2 balls each from his Meteor Swarm instead of Angelena getting all 4 in the face. Some bad reflex saves means that Angelena goes from 120-ish hit points to around 20, Puck and Sona both take a chunk of damage, and the bookshelves are ignited by the magical detonations. Puck's up next as he overclocks, and he rumbles forward to two-hand chop the salt mummy as hard as he possibly can in the chest. The poor undead doesn't have a chance to even sit up, Spotter's arrows having nearly killed it already. Puck's hit and brutal-surge bull rush is extreme overkill, and both mummy and chair are broken against the far wall into tiny pieces.

    Angelena tries to retaliate against the grisgol by calling down a flamestrike, but the flames rain down harmlessly on the lich-construct. Sona's up, and she burns an Arcane fusion to rearrange the battlefield, using a benign transposition to swap her and Talvosh (putting him closer to the grisgol) and then a dimension step for Talvosh and Puck to be flanking the seated grisgol. It tears its hands free of the nails pinning them down and bashes Puck and Talvosh for a surprising amount of damage, but Talvosh resists being permanently paralyzed. Spotter firing arrows+the axe bros going all out means they're able to take the grisgol down before it can produce any more magic, and the room is silent except for the crackle of burning books. Sona examines the broken remains of the grisgol while Angelena does some emergency healing, but the sorceress makes her save vs the grisgol's curse. Advancing on the heavy steel bulkhead door leading out of the room, it takes Spotter, then Spotter and Talvosh, then finally Puck and Talvosh heaving away at the wheel before the door wrenches open with a cloud of rust and a tortured shriek. The party again advances into darkness.

    It's magical darkness of some sort, as even darkvision is stifled. This room smells earthy, though. Earthy, and wet, and green...like the jungle the party had traveled through so long ago. At that realization, fire erupts around everyone. They're in the midst of a burning jungle! I reveal the pre-drawn maze on the battlemap, and it's escape time!

    A turn down one wrong corrider rewards the heroes with a blast of flame, and eerie visions.

    First is the sight of one of the twins bound and burning against a tree. The blackened body twitches and gasps, then expires as they get close. Next is a flicker of movement that draws Talvosh away from the group, and a chunk of burning deadfall tries to pin and burn the orc. Everyone manages to re-unite however, and they keep pushing (lesser vigor is offsetting the heat, but it's getting warmer). Out of another copse of flaming trees springs a burning elf, his teeth gleaming silver through his charred flesh as he attempts to drag Talvosh into the fire (apparently this area likes him). After that situation is handled, the party comes across one more vision. Around a corner sits a painfully thin and tall armored individual, regally arranged on a throne of burning roots. The heat is enough that the Ragewalker's armor is starting to sag and melt into the roots. The fey turns to stare at the party though, and its infectious aura pounds against the party (click that on loop for maximum effect).

    Everyone saves, and they stumble away, finally making their way down the correct path, round and round in a spiral. As they reach what seems to be a dead end, the ground crumbles away and everyone falls!


    Spoiler: Onwards
    Show
    And lands in what seems to be the Church of the Central Flame in Logos. If it was ruined and destroyed, the central flame sunk into a jagged smoldering pit, and had all the color leached out of it to become completely monochromatic. As they try to reorient themselves, Pathos taunts the party again.

    "What exactly are you hoping to accomplish? For what purpose do you continue?" The party isn't overly cheerful about talking by this point, but they do try one more time to convince Pathos that they can change things.

    "But there are only two ways out of this. Death," The pit that was the central fire seems to stretch briefly, "or change."

    "What do you mean, change?" Talvosh is the one to speak up this time.

    "To take what you want, what you need, and change because of it, become stronger from it." With a flicker, Alexandria is sitting by the pit. But it's a near hollow, horribly wounded Alexandria. Her blindfold is replaced by a gruesome gash that exposes bone glistening from flesh, and she sways dangerously close to the pit. Talvosh asks exactly what he's supposed to take, but he's fairly certain of the answer.

    "Take the life. The Vitae!"

    The party refuses, and Pathos clinically tsks in a parody of disappointment.

    "Then you will die." Pathos' message is becoming disturbingly similar to another the party has heard before. If a creature like Pathos serves or is corrupted by Zophiel, that is very very bad for Logos. It's Spotter who speaks up this time.

    "You say there are only 2 options, but we're going to take a third path. And we will find your core, and fix you whether you want it or not!"

    "We shall see."

    Alexandria falls back into the pit. Cracks spread from the edges of the pit, and what drags itself out is a melted mishmash of bent limbs, giant spider, and burning flesh, but still wears the Flamekeeper's face. It speaks as everything goes dark once more.

    "You will never leave this place."

    When the party can see again, they are on the shore of a lake. At least at first glimpse it's a lake, but then everyone realize it is a massive river, so big they can barely see the other side. And it is utterly clogged with corpses. They are so tightly packed that they make a soggy surface to stand on above the water (and the party is standing on bodies right now, actualy).

    "You have certainly come further than most, but you are not the first to venture this far and learn so much. There have been 62 425 groups who have ventured into my library in an attempt to 'cure' me or learn of a way to stop the Curse.

    You will be the 62 426th group, nothing more than another statistic."

    The party has different ideas about that, and elaborate with glares and shaken fists. Pathos offers a quick way out if the party is interested, and a wooden door swing open out of nowhere. Everyone is certain that horrible blendery death is on the other side, so it's ignored. Spotter expresses how he doesn't even know what the hell is going on any more, and Angelena and Sona put their heads together to make some checks with some success!

    They realize that they seem to be following a path of some sort (Pathos had made a side comment about he no longer guarded a library so much as a gateway...Sona grimly recounts that "all paths lead to the Labyrinth"). Also, from talking with other mages and religious sorts, Artaith has seven six worlds.

    The Prime.

    The Summerlands.

    The Shadow.

    Sheol.

    Hyperborea.

    Lethe.

    The Labyrinth

    All are connected by the Astral Sea, but it's not so much a world as the space between them. Whether they're actually travelling to the different planes, or being shown visions of them, or some combination, the previous rooms match up with the Prime, the Summerlands, and the Shadow.

    Which would make this Sheol, the land of the dead. Angelena remembers that it was described as a great river that the dead traveled down as they were washed clean of their mortal attachments...so the party decides to say, "Not today, Death," and go up-river. There's a lot of grimaces and icked-out faces, but the bodies are so tightly packed that it's relatively easy to walk on them. The party also notices that they aren't healing anymore, so they decide to walk faster.

    They walk.

    And walk.

    The bodies don't lessen in quantity, nor does the river narrow. The sky doesn't change from its flat grey either, so it's really hard to gauge any sort of progress. However, the dice shine on the party. I had been periodically rolling a "fortune" roll for the party, to see if a situation would dramatically worsen or improve. I roll a 20 for the party (which is good for them, don't be so disappointed), so they come across an islet in the middle of the river. On it sits the statue of a hooded and robed figure, carved out of what seems to be basalt and brass. It holds some combination between a crook and a scythe, and looks up with the creaking of stone.

    YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE, MORTALS. THIS PLACE IS FOR THE DEAD, NOT THE LIVING.

    The party assures the servant of Uthra that they really didn't mean to come here, and are actively trying to find a way to move through. The empty hood studies them for a bit more, and seems to nod slowly.

    AH, YOU ARE FROM ANOTHER THREAD, ANOTHER TIME. Spotter kind of stalls out at hearing that, and the Inevitable elaborates.

    THE WEAVE OF REALITY FRAYS AND WEAKENS AS THE WORLD DIES. DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES TANGLE INTO ONE ANOTHER, ALLOWING SOME TO TRAVEL BETWEEN AND THROUGH. HERE, THERE IS NO LIFE REMAINING. AND MY LADY'S REALM OVERFLOWS WITH EMPTY SHELLS

    Somewhat urgently, they ask for the way out. The guardian points downriver with its crook, and gleaming white fluid seeps out of cracks in the wounded inevitable.

    BEWARE THOUGH. WE ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO GUARD ALL OF THE RIVER FROM SCAVENGERS AND PREDATORS. IF YOU MOVE QUIETLY, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO AVOID THEIR ATTENTION. The party thanks the guardian, and hustles downriver.

    The trip seems much faster going downriver, even though the current is so sluggish it's almost not noticeable. After some time, the party can see something above the river and stretching into the sky. At first, it looks like an elaborate sculpture of some sort, maybe a gigantic bridge. But as they slog forward, and more becomes visible, it's not a bridge.

    It's a web. A web with strands thicker than people could stretch their arms around, and stretching in all directions until it's out of sight in the mist. The party quickens their pace, wanting to get past the web as quickly as they can. However, Talvosh stumbles with a really bad dex roll, and disturbs the bodies and water with a great splash! Three bodies turn to stare at him, and twisted spectral caricatures claw out of the corpses, giggling and crooning madly as they do so.

    The advanced evolved allips (which Angelena rolls high enough to recognize as the maddened spiritual remains of suicide victims) manage to fascinate Talvosh, Sona, and Spotter. Two reach directly into Talvosh's skull, and pull out long gleaming strands of grey energy, which they cram hungrily into their mouths. The two empowered touches quickly drop Talvosh to 0 wisdom. Luckily, he rolls to land on his back, so he doesn't start drowning immediately. Puck rockets forward and hacks into one of the allips for a chunk of damage. It responds by reaching into his head, but is confused when it can't grasp a hold of anything. Angelena steps up, and thrusts her holy symbol forward with a greater turning! A silent pulse of holy sunlight blows two of the three allips to dust, and Puck only manages to cut it once again due to miss chance. Angered by the priestess (and lacking a viable target in front of it) the allip surges through Puck to charge Angelena with a shriek, arms outstretched into claws!

    However, Puck's attack of opportunity lands, and separates the allip's warped head from its body. Sona and Spotter get snapped out of it, but the situation is looking bad. They really don't to spend any time in this place, especially near those colossal webs. But the party doesn't have any magic left that can heal wisdom drain. There's some debate about slitting Talvosh's throat, and letting the Curse restore him, but he's getting pretty low on Vitae for that. Spotter steps up however, and lays his hands on each side of Talvosh's face. Concentrating on what he wants to do, Spotter tears a piece of himself out and burns a Vitae. Making his roll, he silently chants.

    Be healed. His check succeeds, and Talvosh heals 6 points of Wisdom (any spiritual bleedthru between the two will have to wait). Talvosh wakes up with the world's biggest headache, but everyone is more than ready to start moving as the whole river shakes and dances with a massive thrum. Then another. It's the webs, shaking as something plucks and tugs on them. The horrible noise continues as the party is full on running by this point, helping each other out. They're running past the webs as Something breaks through the clouds, the size too much for their brain to fully process. The world shakes with a shrill noise just as the heroes run directly off the side of the waterfall, and free-fall.


    Spoiler: Emptiness
    Show
    Their fall is broken in clouds of icy-cold ash and dust, and they scrabble to the surface frantically for air. Wherever they've landed, it's bitterly cold. The sky is black, the only light coming from a mere wisp of the sun that is seemingly being stretched and tugged down into the horizon. Ash rains down silently, and the party stands upon an ocean of it.

    They're in Lethe, and looking around, they seem to be in Logos. Just ahead of them juts up what seems to be the central tower of Logos, and the portal to Revelation atop it. But it's only a couple stories high...which mean they must be standing on hundreds of feet of packed ash and dust. Hunching against the cold, they trudge forward.

    Stepping through a hole in the side of the tower, they push aside flimsy and broken barricades made from rubble. There are a series of pillars jammed into the walls to act as rough stairs, and at the base of them is what seems to be a giant suit of armor. It's been ripped and split open, and a large broken sword hilt lays by one arm.

    It seems to be Bulwark, or what was left of him. Somewhat numb to the painful sights they've been assaulted by, the Pilgrims ascend.

    On the roof are three dessicated corpses, bits of stretched skin over bone. Two are huddled together, arms and hands clasped tightly, the Twins. A third lays facedown, arm stretched towards the portal. Underneath the face is a shattered steel mask, and by the Traveler's side is a mass of fused crystals and gold wires. As Sona and Puck look closely at the Traveler's corpse (and Puck pockets the mask fragments like the morbid magpie he is), they realize that the mass of crystal are all Forged Hearts. A trickle of magic flows from the mass to the nearly shattered portal rings, but it's still active. Gritting their teeth, the party steps through.


    We end it there.

    Spoiler: DEATH COUNT
    Show
    Still 44. Is it that I've gotten soft, or the players have been forged into sharper, stronger weapons? I'm voting for the latter (cause it makes me sound better). Plus, I get points for psychological damage!


    And our schedule is going to be a little wonky for the next couple months probably, but for good reason. Two members of the group are having a baby this week, and than another two are having one around a month later or so. We all want to keep playing, it'll just be a little fluid.

    Don't worry though, I think I've hooked everyone into wanting to see an ending to this.
    Last edited by curious-puzzle; 2017-09-27 at 08:44 AM.
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  10. - Top - End - #400
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    danielxcutter's Avatar

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Looked up Prismatic Golems... yeesh, they're tough. Incorporeal golems... honestly, aside from ghost touch weapons and orb of force there aren't many things that can hurt them at all. Not to mention a high touch AC. And they're CR 18... what level is the party again? Yikes.
    Cool elan Illithid Slayer by linkele.

    Editor/co-writer of Magicae Est Potestas, a crossover between Artemis Fowl and Undertale. Ao3 FanFiction.net DeviantArt
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    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    I could write a lengthy explanation, but honestly just what danielxcutter said.
    Extended sig here.

  11. - Top - End - #401
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    BlueKnightGuy

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    CR 18?! No wonder we were having such a hard time hitting!

  12. - Top - End - #402
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tyrant_2d View Post
    CR 18?! No wonder we were having such a hard time hitting!
    Yup. 33 Dex and +16 deflection bonus to AC. Even with the size penalty to AC, that's still touch AC 36 and flat-footed AC 25. Combine that with being incorporeal, construct traits, and magic immunity, and it's not surprising that hurting these things are nigh-impossible. To be honest, the only fool-proof idea I can come up with is arcane fusion: true strike + orb of force.
    Cool elan Illithid Slayer by linkele.

    Editor/co-writer of Magicae Est Potestas, a crossover between Artemis Fowl and Undertale. Ao3 FanFiction.net DeviantArt
    We also have a TvTropes page!

    Currently playing: Red Hand of Doom(campaign journal) Campaign still going on, but journal discontinued until further notice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    I could write a lengthy explanation, but honestly just what danielxcutter said.
    Extended sig here.

  13. - Top - End - #403
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Pppffffft don't worry about it. CR is more a guideline, anyways.

    Heh heh heh....

    Previous post is updated with session 48 as well now!

    Also, completely forgot that we hit the two-year mark at the end of August!
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  14. - Top - End - #404
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    Congrats at two years of gaming.

    Also I get the Salt Mummy and Grisgol - pretty weak compared to the big group of Prismatic Golems, honestly - but those Allips are a bit ouch. Still nowhere near the unfairness of those golems though.

    It seems we're reaching the good parts... what level are the party by the way? I forget?
    Cool elan Illithid Slayer by linkele.

    Editor/co-writer of Magicae Est Potestas, a crossover between Artemis Fowl and Undertale. Ao3 FanFiction.net DeviantArt
    We also have a TvTropes page!

    Currently playing: Red Hand of Doom(campaign journal) Campaign still going on, but journal discontinued until further notice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    I could write a lengthy explanation, but honestly just what danielxcutter said.
    Extended sig here.

  15. - Top - End - #405
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    BlueKnightGuy

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Puck and Sona just hit 17 at the end of the session, Talvosh is just shy of joining them. Angelina and I are a little further behind

  16. - Top - End - #406
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    NinjaGirl

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Two years now eh? Wow. Times does fly when your soul is in peril! Lol.

    Took my first level of Fatespinner and picking out more spells to be the enabler lol. My best damage seems to be making sure 'the boys' get to the fight lol. Especially since half of the things we're up against these days seem to be immune to magic dmg!!!!! :P

  17. - Top - End - #407
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    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Burning a Vitae still counts as an honorary death to me.
    As of next week, I will have been reading this journal for two years! My goodness, I can still remember the first few sessions and most of the backstories :P
    Keep it going guys!! We have to finish this!
    The beatings will continue until morale improves!

    Vaz approval for the best backstory. Villainous Competition 16: Burn Baby Burn
    http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...&postcount=114

    Honorable Mention Villainous Competition 22: I Am The Night
    http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...e-Night!/page6 Xihu Ayame

    Click my Vulpix to feed it yummy berries!

  18. - Top - End - #408
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Quote Originally Posted by PrismCat21 View Post
    Keep it going guys!! We have to finish this!
    Especially because otherwise I'll write an overly dramatic and angsty bad ending for it instead!
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  19. - Top - End - #409
    Dwarf in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Many thanks for the continued entertainment. Enjoying the antics very much.

  20. - Top - End - #410
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    Daemon

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Thanks Wobner! I'm sure the players will come up with more quite consistently...
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  21. - Top - End - #411
    Dwarf in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    just a thought i had,

    can i suggest Picanet's character suffer a minus 1 penalty to all rolls for each update they are behind in the strange aeons journal.

    just a thought.

    Kidding ofcourse, i don't think you need any more help killing them.

    maybe just poke 'em with a stick next session.

  22. - Top - End - #412
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    GnomeWizardGuy

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Horay for updates! Horay for adventure! Horay for PC death!

    In case you're still in a Golem mood, I jsut realized there are tons of over the top ridiculous options out there! I'm sure you know, but this thing is just.... ugh.
    http://dungeons.wikia.com/wiki/Mirro...(3.5e_Monster)

    Who makes up this kind of stuff!? Oh right, curious-puzzle does

  23. - Top - End - #413
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    NinjaGirl

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    Quote Originally Posted by wobner View Post
    just a thought i had,

    can i suggest Picanet's character suffer a minus 1 penalty to all rolls for each update they are behind in the strange aeons journal.

    just a thought.

    Kidding ofcourse, i don't think you need any more help killing them.

    maybe just poke 'em with a stick next session.
    What mutiny is this!?!?

    Nah. It's well deserved. I have been the super laze. I can blame a little on baby-brain. I can't blame it all lol. :P

  24. - Top - End - #414
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    Daemon

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Session numbah 49!

    Spoiler: Through the gate
    Show
    The Pilgrims walk through the portal and emerge into the wreckage of a warzone. They aren't walking atop the dead anymore, but it's not particularly far off. Bodies are strewn across the landscape in every direction, more than anyone would be comfortable counting. Shattered weapons and warmachines add to the carnage, as does the heavy smell of death and smoke. The corpses seem to be every single type of daemon and fiend the party has encountered, as well as even more disturbing and twisted monsters. Opposing them (and just as dead) is an army of angels, as well as incredibly intricate and varied constructs. There is the rumble of distant combat and warfare, but the party's immediate surroundings are deathly *heh* still.

    The party is getting a little desperate by this point to find somewhere to rest (I laugh at 4 encounters a day! Laugh, I say!), so Spotter goes to scout for anything that can offer some shelter. There's a pair of massive hills running parallel to each other not too far away, so that's the direction everyone goes (Spotter ranges further ahead, while everyone else settles at the bottom of one of the hills for now).\

    These hills are kind of weird. It's a thin coating of dust and dirt over what seems to be steel (Talvosh does a bit of digging while Spotter is gone, and every bit of hill he scrapes away exposes more smooth steel), and while they stretch a LONG ways away, seem to meet together in the distance. Spotter can also see a larger ridge up ahead, and large shapes jutting up into the reddish-grey sky flanking said ridge on each side. There's some more peering around, and some cleverness/wisdom checks are made as the scale of what everyone is looking at is understood.

    The "Hills" are legs partially covered by ash, dirt, and dust. The party is standing at the feet of an absurdly titanic armored corpse!

    There maaayyy have been some rather pointed questions about whether or not said "corpse" was showing any signs of movement. After Spotter rejoins the group and everyone confirming that they weren't going to have to engage in a "God of War scale the boss" minigame, they decide to head towards the chest of the armored giant.

    The walk is oppressive and tense, but uneventful. The scenes of carnage keep unfolding before the heroes, but there's no other sign of life besides an occasional silhouette flapping in the horizon. I'm deliberately vague about how long it takes the party to proceed past the legs -
    Spoiler: DM NOTE
    Show
    Starting with Sheol and the river of the dead, time is REALLY messed up right now for the party
    - but they eventually the reach the chest. I use the word "rising" and there's another bout of questions to make sure that the chest just rises up from the ground, not that it's rising as in breathing. Now that they're closer, the large shapes on either side seem to be a sword and a shield, both embedded into the earth and stretching skyward. There's some debate as to which one to go to, and consensus seems to be leaning to the sword, but then Puck does a Vitae check to try and look for a Bonfire. He gets that pulling sensation up ahead, towards where the head should be.

    So off the party goes!
    Spoiler: DM NOTE
    Show
    And misses out on some optional stuff


    Progressing forwards, the Pilgrims don't come across a giant skull, or a building-sized helmet, or anything like that. Instead there's a large steep valley, the slopes almost at a 45 degree angle. Down at the bottom of this sudden depression is a pool of glittering black liquid, almost 100 feet across.

    Seems like someone lost their head over something *ba-dum tsh*

    The ominous pool of black liquid that may or may not be some supercreature's blood and feels like Vitae unnerves most of the party for some reason. Spotter and Puck clamber down to check it out, while everyone else waits at the top of the valley to see if they die horribly. Puck's battlevisor is going all static-y and overloading with the magic emanating from the liquid, but nothing grabs him by the face. So while everyone else is debating, he walks into the liquid. And goes a bit further in.

    And then falls in and vanishes from sight.

    The rest of the party goes a little bug eyed, but decide to wait 1 minute to see if he dies and reappears next to Angelena. Aren't they so supportive?

    On Puck's end, he falls and lands roughly on a broad stone platform. It seems to be a giant eight-sided chamber, with platforms at varying heights with wide steps between them. There's a pit in the center of the room, and in the center of that pit is an elephant-sized crystal gleaming with eerie light. Puck looks from side to side, and then Pathos' cold voice rings out once more.

    "One of you? Really? That's it?"

    Puck is again offered the "easy way out" by hurling himself into the pit, but he's disinclined to acquiesce. After a little more talking, the atmosphere changes and it's initiative time!


    Spoiler: Shards of Madness
    Show
    With the grating noise of stone against stone, hulking figures assemble themselves from hunks of rough rock, and lumber towards Puck! Three are quite blocky and haphazard looking, while the fourth is actually carved and detailed. Unfortunately it looks like an evil demented version of Bulwark, with wicked morning stars for hands. Rather than charging in headlong and alone, Puck wisely activates his flight and rockets upwards out of reach. There isn't a handy ledge or anything to hide out on, but it gives him a bit of a grace period to wait for the rest of the gang to catch up.

    Speaking of that gang, they finally start picking their way down to the liquid, and finally identify it as "definitely a portal." Spotter is the first in, while Talvosh accelerates his entry by taking a gigantic leap from partway down the incline. Upside? He enters the same time as Spotter, who was quite a bit ahead of him. Downside? He enters facefirst on the ground. Angelena and Sona are the last to wade into the water, but that's because Sona takes some time to toss Greater invisibility on both herself and the priestess.

    The battle is in full swing by the time everyone has arrived, but nothing terrible happened while the party was split up yay! Puck was smart and dodgy and picked out one statue that was up ahead of the rest, diving down and smashing it to pieces as the rest of the party falls/lands/floats to the platform. As the hunks of rock fly apart,
    Puck makes his spot check to notice a hateful transparent face glaring at him from inside the "chest" of the rock monster!

    Puck is pretty much immune to all their abilities, but as tasty living brains arrive in the room, the Advanced Evolved Allips start to attack from inside their rock-mechs. Poor Spotter fails against multiple babbles again, but is struck and knocked out of it quickly by the rock-monsters. I may have played my hand a little too early with the allips, however. After seeing how dangerous they were (reducing Talvosh to comatose in a single round), the three allips only manage to dispel Sona's invisibility, haste themselves, and only touch Spotter for a minimum of 2 pts of wisdom drain before they're quickly prioritized and burned down. The rougher rockmonsters are identified as animated objects, while the more detailed one is a golem, and said rockmonsters are smashed apart quickly to expose their crazy allip centers. Even the sight of the smashed rockmonster reassembling itself doesn't frighten the party too badly.

    But by this point the golem has reached the fight, and the real boss decides playtime is over. The Incarnation of Madness
    Spoiler: DM NOTE - creature type and templates!
    Show
    Advanced Phrenic Whisper Demon
    floats out of its golem ride, exposing everyone to the Maddening whispers aura. Spotter fails, but everyone else manages to roll high and save (or be Puck, who is incredibly smug being immune to all the bad things happening). Alas, Spotter rolls "act normally" so he doesn't hit himself in the face. The Madness also uses its Fission psi-like ability and splits into two horribly spectral monsters. The Fission floats forward and forces another round of saves while zapping people with an Energy current, while the original floats near the crystal and looks generally crazy.

    The serious danger of the allips being removed makes this fight no longer instantly deadly, but the Madness is still pretty nasty. Spotter has a seriously hard time with the maddening whispers,
    while the rest of the party is stymied as they try to target the Madness. One of the feats I gave it was Mark of Nessus, which combined with its super high Charisma, means a big chunk of the party's attacks are forced to fall short or go elsewhere.

    Everyone takes a lot of damage, either from hitting themselves, being beaten on by the reassembling rock-monsters, or the psi-like abilities of the Madness. An Ultrablast in particular scrambles everyone's brains, and things are looking a little tense. Spotter manages to land one of his massive x4 crits, but the Madness just shrieks in rage and keeps going. Finally, Puck rockets through the air against the Madness! And fails against the Mark of Nessus. So instead, he swings his axe as hard as he can into the crystal (which looks suspiciously like a giant version of a Forged's crystal heart). I blare the creepy noise again as the room shakes and the crystal cracks slightly.

    "YOU DARE?!?" The Madness is extremely perturbed, and continues trying to rend the Pilgrim's minds and souls to goopy confetti. Sona and Angelena get in on the crystal attack, even dropping a cometfall on the giant crystal. The battle continues, with Sona and Spotter dim-dooring to the opposite side of the room to try and prevent themselves from more mind-blasting. Talvosh continues to reduce any rockmonster near him to pebbles, but they keep getting up.

    More big numbers get thrown around (Talvosh finally lands a couple hits on the Fisson-Madness and nearly obliterates it instantly), and Puck keeps smashing away at the crystal, even with his flight about to run out again. The Madness is trying to pull his guts out during all of his, the incorporeal touch attack the only thing he's not immune to. Finally, the crystal splits down the middle. With a final howl, the Madness explodes!

    And so does the crystal, assaulting everyone with chunks of high-speed shrapnel. The final blast of damage rips Sona apart, instantly putting her to -20 or so. With that, everything is dark and completely silent.

    We end it there, with the last two sessions managing to put everyone to 17th level


    Spoiler: DEATH COUNT
    Show
    45!
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  25. - Top - End - #415
    Titan in the Playground
     
    danielxcutter's Avatar

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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    ...Huh. This is... interesting.
    Cool elan Illithid Slayer by linkele.

    Editor/co-writer of Magicae Est Potestas, a crossover between Artemis Fowl and Undertale. Ao3 FanFiction.net DeviantArt
    We also have a TvTropes page!

    Currently playing: Red Hand of Doom(campaign journal) Campaign still going on, but journal discontinued until further notice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    I could write a lengthy explanation, but honestly just what danielxcutter said.
    Extended sig here.

  26. - Top - End - #416
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Quote Originally Posted by danielxcutter View Post
    ...Huh. This is... interesting.
    Deja vu!


    Quote Originally Posted by Blackhawk748 View Post
    Well then. That was different.
    Quote Originally Posted by YossarianLives View Post
    I agree with Blackhawk, the only adjective that I can think of to describe that is "interesting."
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  27. - Top - End - #417
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    Wild North Yonder

    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Yeah... No idea what we just did other than broked it lol. STAY TUNED TO READ US FIGURING OUT HOW WE DISARMED THE MAGICAL NUKE BY HITTING IT REALLY HARD.

  28. - Top - End - #418
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    The Frozen North
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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Very applicable to this situation:
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  29. - Top - End - #419
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    The Frozen North
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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Alas, no game yesterday cause I had work stuff.

    On the upside, that's another two weeks that I get to be all smug and enigmatic about whether the PCs the right thing or not with the Library. :D
    The Romanov Incident A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Magic! Mystery! Mind control! Murderous Demon Apes!
    The Curse of Artaith A 3.5 campaign journal, complete. Heavily influenced by the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games. Featuring lots and lots of death, player (character) and otherwise!
    Dammerung(old) and Dammerung 2.0 A 5e campaign journal, ongoing. My latest kitchen sink of a campaign setting, with magic radiation storms, underground undead hordes, and elder-god worshipping vikings

  30. - Top - End - #420
    Titan in the Playground
     
    danielxcutter's Avatar

    Join Date
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    Default Re: The Curse of Artaith (a 3.5 Campaign Journal)

    Quote Originally Posted by curious-puzzle View Post
    Alas, no game yesterday cause I had work stuff.

    On the upside, that's another two weeks that I get to be all smug and enigmatic about whether the PCs the right thing or not with the Library. :D
    Ah, I see. RL does come first.
    Cool elan Illithid Slayer by linkele.

    Editor/co-writer of Magicae Est Potestas, a crossover between Artemis Fowl and Undertale. Ao3 FanFiction.net DeviantArt
    We also have a TvTropes page!

    Currently playing: Red Hand of Doom(campaign journal) Campaign still going on, but journal discontinued until further notice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Squire Doodad View Post
    I could write a lengthy explanation, but honestly just what danielxcutter said.
    Extended sig here.

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