We followed the path of the beam, fyrther northeast. We were set in the trek a good 10 hours, and
exhaustion was setting in. Fortunately, we spotted a town a little ways up the
foothills, not too far off, so we climbed up the hill.
Just as we entered the main gate, it was apparent something
was out of the ordinary. For being late afternoon, the city was quiet. There
were a couple miniature beholders floateling around in a nearby courtyard,
across the stream. We would have to get around them stealthily, or take them
out, to resupply and rest. We were in a very straightforward sort of mood then,
and we just charged them. No messing around. It was a tense fight; the two
beasties hit hard. Their ranged mental attacks were a strike of fear. I saw Sap
and his spider fall of the bridge, onto the iced-over river. Polaris tried out
one of the Bursting Corpse arrows I made for her, and it worked very well. She
aimed well and pierced the creature with her corrupted arrow, and it succumbed
to the poison, decomposing rapidly, then, with a shudder, exploded in a shower
of acidic, decomposted flesh. It was revolting, but effective. Once they were
dispatched, we explored around town for a bit, finding nothing but abandoned
homes and empty shops. We settled in to a few buildings around the courtyard
for the night.
Late in the evening, I heard a cry of help from the other
building. It was Sapling. I went over there, to find that he had fed his spider
some spoiled food from a long-abandoned dining hall. I healed the spider and
left. As I left, he closed the door behind me, and I heard a sound as if he was
barricading it. A strange one, to be sure.
Polaris found a bird carrying a bell, and she gave it a coin
in return the bell.
In the morning, we arose, and after conversing with our
bard, who knew much of this area, learned that there was a castle in the center
of this village, one whose baron was long dead. So we decided to see if we
could resupply there, since all the shops seemed to be empty.
We entered the castle with caution, but it seemed warm
enough. The main hall had a short row of gargoyles, with a statue of the baron
centered on a low dais. Vol and Nadarr discovered that the statue was built
over a deep well of holy water; secrets do not stay hidden long with us. We
phialed a few ounces, and looked around. There was a trap door hidden in one
corner that led to a cellar, but it was locked with arcane fire, so we left it
alone for the time being. We headed up the stairs in the back of the hall, and
found ourselves in a large combined library and study. There was a large round
table, with notes in a strange script. We later learned that those were notes
on how to summon demons.
I scoured the bookshelves for alchemical guides, and I found
a few that I thought I can learn from. I
put them in my pack. There was a stairwell going up to another floor. There was
a heavy door at the top. We heard laughter from there, laughter all too
familiar. It had taunted us before. Somehow, from even beyond death, Vecna
seemed to be mocking us. Vol ran up the stairs and barged through the trapped
door, almost completely ignoring it. Ahead of us was a short hall, laden with
traps. We moved carefully, and marked each trap with rice so we knew where not
to step on our way back downstairs.
At the end of the hall was a large iron door. We tried to
open it, but it was locked strongly. I poured a vial of Aqua Regia, my
strongest acid, on it; combined with brute strength, we forced it open. We entered into a large open room with many
windows along the walls (that’s generally where windows are found, to be
truthful). Immediately noticeable was the elven girl fighting a skeleton near
the wall. We tried to approach to help her, but there was a magic barrier
dividing the room, keeping us on our side. There was a row of beds along one
wall. Vol pushed a bed across the barrier. Seeing an inanimate object go across
just fine, he tried putting ‘Darr in a bed and pushing him across, but Darr
crashed against the barrier while the bed went through. I noticed alchemical
goodies on a nearby table, but they were enchanted with a protective spell, so
I didn’t touch them. There was a ritual circle across the room, with a decaying
body in the center. There were candles around and scripted boards and such in
front of the circle. Looked awful crude, through and through. Suddenly, the
brawl intensified, and the skeleton pushed the elf out the window. Vol figured
out the skeleton was Vecna. It was the crushed skull and the same voice. I was both surprised and frustrated and angry
he was back. I just want him dead for good. Vol mocked and challenged Vecna
from across the barrier, it was great hearing him talking down to a dead god.
Sapling teleported across the barrier using his cloak. He
presented Vecna’s old red cloak to him, that he took off his dead body,
earlier, and asked if he could join forces to take out Lolth. This was bad news;
it could only end bad. I started a ritual to create an unseen servant, and it
was prepared in time. Vecna aggressed toward Sap, and violently took his cloak
back, and put it on. I sent my servant across the barrier, and had it drag the dead
body out of the circle, toward the window, and heave it outside, while Vecna
was distracted. Then I had it go toward Vecna and start humping him from
behind. I was laughing well at this point. Vecna slashed behind him with his
sword and the spirit dissipated.
Sap leaped out of the window that the elf girl fell from,
and the spider followed. Nadarr went downstairs, to fill some vials with holy
water. Vol then tossed one of the beds toward the candles and boiling brews,
disturbing the ritual further, and Vecna became enraged. He took down the
barrier and engaged us in combat.
Vol rushed him, and hit hard. I threw a firebomb at the
candles and pots, and they all exploded, opening a hole in the looking out to
the ground maybe 60 feet below. Polaris reminded Vecna of the body he was using
that fell from the window, and that enraged him. The elf flew back into the
other window, but Vecna had her grabbed with phantom claws. Vol attack with
radiant glory, Polaris sang a song that encouraged Vol in strength. I broke out
my darts for the first time, and they stung hard. Sap and his spider returned
up the window, and 'Dar returned up the stairs, splashing holy water on Vecna
as he entered. Vecna clouded the area with a large choking fog, made me dizzy
and feel very sick. Sap attacked the elf, and knocked her out.
The spider
started carrying her toward the ritual circle, but Vol and Polaris pulled them
back, into a trap on the ground. Vol healed her, too. I attacked the Wilden and
the spider, and knocked Sapling out. Vol ran over and cut off his head.
I was a little shocked, I kind of saw it coming though. He
was helping Vecna, and harming us. There was no time to grieve, though I doubt
there would have been much of that, to be frank.
Vecna ran toward the
circle, and entered a trap door, sealing it behind him.
We healed the elf, made sure she was breathing and
conscious, and I introduced myself. She told me her name was Naivara. I tried
to talk, but she seemed preoccupied. She ran over to the circle, where one of
the beds landed, that Vol threw. She rummaged through the sheets and pieces of
wood, frantically. She asked where the body was. I felt a bit awkward. Had I
thrown a relation of hers out the window? I hesitated to answer. but 'Dar spoke
up, that he was dropped from the window. She ran toward the window, and flew
down. Polaris looked out, she told what she saw. Naivara pulled a red orb from
his clothes, put it on her staff, and ran off.
I looked at one of the tables, and picked up some bottled
smoke.
We took Sapling’s remains outside, to where we were camping
earlier. We buried him off the path a bit, in a yard. Even the ground was
frozen, but Polaris assumed her feral form and helped out with the digging. She
sang over his body for a moment, then we dispersed.
We settled around in the
camp site, and Darr brought something out of his pack, that he found in the
castle library. Darr and Vol started looking at it, and wasn’t sure what it
was. So I came over and looked at the deck, drawing a card. The first card I
picked up was The Sun. As I looked at the rest of the cards, I shivered cold as
the river ice. This was the Deck Of Many Things. It was a gamble to draw from,
bringing either fortune and glory, or death and hatred. It was too much of a
worry for me, and I was thankful that I drew a positive card, to be sure. (Later
I noticed I had two new items in my pack: a set of pigments for painting, and
an elixir of protection.) I warned my friends of the severity of consequences of
drawing from the deck, but Polaris felt a curious compulsion, and drew a card
anyway. A wraith of death appeared and floated toward her, but she broke her
lucky charm to undo the effects. They
decided to put the deck away.
Then we slept.
