Session 17: Heart of Darkness

Scene 1: Diplomacy, what’s that?

Having arrived in the City our heroes are faced with a mass of shambling zombies and their undead warlock commanders. They have the chance to run, to evade the slow moving creatures and vanish into the narrow winding streets of the City. Running however isn’t their style. Assamber strikes first, he traps the warlocks in a cage of lightning and blocks the zombie advance with a Wall of Fire. The others take pot shots from the side while Morn flies over the wall into the midst of the enemy. For a moment things look like they might go bad. Morn is surrounded by everything, Azhanti is dragged into the zombie masses which is also inside the Wall of Fire. A bit of Turn Undead and Solar Wrath later and the battle is nearly done. Bits of skeletal warlock litter the ground along with rotting zombie bodies. I don’t even manage to push anyone off the mountain, most disappointing.

Having dealt with the welcoming party the group decide to explore some of the nearby buildings. The best and nearest bet is a large tower seemingly unscathed by the battles. Arriving they discover it is the home of the Wizard Jalant, who claims to be Archmage of the City. He is keen to cleanse the City of the undead and offers to tell the group how to find the Heart if they steal the Orb of Storms from the Temple. He also gives them a few pointers on other points of interest in the City, quarters of the Chosen, Temple Buildings, a barracks and a few others.

The group decide to employ diplomacy first, heading off to the Chosen’s quarters. There they find a well fortified series of buildings held by the city’s elite warriors and a Tiefling Priest they have saved. There is much tension between him and Morn although the Priest appears to be genuine and has the loyalty of the humans there. Deciding there isn’t much to be gained instead they head to the barracks to speak to General Zaknoril.

At the gates the guards, being on high alert, demand the group hand over their weapons. The group refuse and Morn snarls them into submission. This gets them in to see the General but things go from bad to worse. Insults are hurled and he throws them out. Skulking through the rest of the City they head to the Temple. Keeping their heads down and staying away from the centre of town allows them to avoid the occupying forces and they easily make it into the Temple although Artemis does spot a dream dragon sunning itself on one building. Once inside they are ushered into the presence of Irilan, High Priestess of the Storm Lords.

Scene 2: The Bargain

Here things manage to go a little better. She recognises that their interests coincide, she wants the undead out of her City and their General, Zirithian, dead. He has taken up his base in Iceholme, a demiplane reached through a portal in the centre of the City. Things are going well despite attempts to disrupt the negotiations by Orontor, the former apprentice of Paldemar, an old enemy. Unfortunately Morn then opens his mouth and begins accusing the Tieflings of kidnapping people and selling them into slavery. The Priestess is evasive and seems reluctant to discuss the issue. She demands that if the group do work for her that they swear, on the Altar of the Stormlords, not to interfere with her running of the City on their return. More harsh words are traded as Chiniko repeatedly facepalms in the corner before an agreement is hashed out.

Irilan provides the group with Wyverns to fly down into the centre of the City to reach the portal before their enemy can react. They take to the air and wheel through the sky but their passage is contested. Vulture headed vrocks descend out of the clouds along with a flock of smaller twisted demonic forms. As they race across the city a tornado forms and pursues the group spitting lightning but to little effect. Battle rages across the sky and between the towers and bridges of the city. Artemis and Morn perform feats of athleticism while Azhanti and Chiniko call out their enemies position and bluff them away. Assamber climbs to the heights of the upper air and decides to use the opportunity to enhance the vial of Maels blood which he carries with the power of the Storms fury.

Outpacing the enemy the group quickly find themselves at the portal confronted by its guards, Lareen a Tiefling Vampire who betrayed her people to the invaders, he spawn and a wraith of the ancient king of the people of Valberg. Azhanti spends the entire battle mind controlled but the spawn are vaporised almost instantly by Assamber. The Wraith bears down on him but Lareen cannot withstand the group and withdraws with her wraith guard to plot her revenge. Taking control of the portal the group leap through to pursue their quest for the Heart of Maran Gor.

Scene 3: Iceholme

Having stepped through the portal the group find themselves stood on an icy tundra, freezing wind cuts through them and terrible voices are carried on the wind. In the distance they can see the ruins of an ancient City and Chiniko’s senses tell him the Heart is there. They begin to trudge across the frozen ground, swarms of biting undead flies descend on them and the ground in places has melted and turned to sucking boggy marsh. They persist however and the City soon comes into view over a low ridge.

It is a ruin, long since abandoned by its original people although it bears similarities to the City they have just left. A great trench has been built around it and it is filled with tens of thousands of groaning zombies. These are not the shambling mindless undead they have faced before but the souls of this worlds inhabitants trapped in rotting flesh. A single bridge crosses the chasm, a bridge formed of the bones of a long dead monster and a skeletal figure stands watch.

The group decide to opt for guile and hunt down a scouting party to ambush. Chiniko is set as bait with Artemis concealed in the nearby scrub. Azhanti watches from afar and completely misses which of them is the leader. Chiniko completely flubs his attempt to convince the leader of the patrol that he is part of an earlier patrol and Artemis is easily spotted. As they rush to the attack Assamber blasts them back and Morn totally manages to take out an irrelevant recruit and not their leader. Their trap utterly ineffectual the group quickly destroy the patrol and recover what they can of their clothing hoping to pass themselves off as a returning patrol. Assamber patches up some of the uniforms with a little magic and they set off. Unfortunately Chiniko’s run of bad fortune continues and when challenged to identify themselves gets so tongue tied that the guard attacks.

From under the bridge come a swarm of ghouls and skeletons and for a moment it looks like the group might be in trouble. This is very quickly follows by a mix of Storm Cage, Mire of the Mind, Turn Undead and Solar Wrath and what should have been a tough fight becomes a cake walk. Having swept aside opposition the group head into the City proper making for a section inhabited by a human army and what looks like a sprawling mess tent.

*cut scene*

Night has fallen on the Temple of the Lords of Storm and the Priestess Irilan is at prayer in the main Chapel. Footsteps disturb her meditations, “What do you want Oronto, I grow tired of your pointless visits. If your master cannot or will not help us then we will see how well you survive outside”

The Wizard bows before the Priestess, “I have brought you help Irilan, one who can save your City if you will let her. She asks only one thing, slay the strangers when they return and give her the Hammer and the Heart” A third figure emerges from the darkness, “You” Irilan snarls, “You should have known better than to return traitor” As she reaches for the Holy Symbol hanging around her neck her eyes meet those of the Vampire Lareen, “Rest now Irilan, you have much work to do if Morn returns”