Editing Session019 (section)

===Session Nineteen - 12th April 2024===
====SHORT VERSION====


====LONG VERSION====
 - <u>[[Media:The_Demonplague_-_Session_19.mp3|Link to audio file]]</u>

The party followed the footsteps of the fleeing hobgoblin, coming across a room with multiple broken sarcophagi in it and evidence of where the pair of hobgoblins had been playing dice.  Morthos thought for a moment that he had found a rune trap on the door, but it was only when Drex looked at it that they realised there was another, more simple wire noise trap that had been set up hastily by the fleeing hobgoblin.   Once that had been disabled, the group passed through into a narrow short corridor that had one additional door and an archway with some stairs leading down to a lit open area.  

Leaving the golem guarding the stairs with instructions to attack anyone it sees apart from them, the group headed through the door to find another room with some broken sarcophogi, and beyond that, a corridor similar to the one they had previously encountered - with doors like the ones they had heard possible prisoners behind - although these ones had no locks fitted to them.  Finally, they found another large door similar to the one they had entered the complex through.   Upon opening it, a cascade of stones and rubble fell through, showing that the whatever lay beyond had long since been buried under a cave-in.

A few moments later, they could hear what sounded like the golem moving and starting to fight something, and they hurriedly retraced their steps, descending the stairs where they had left the golem to discover a large open oval room, dominated by a huge statue, probably to some elven deity in the middle.  The iron plated dwarven clay golem was busy fighting a nine foot tall eleven stone golem, and losing.   The group decided to help their golem, Cormir rushing down the stairs and slashing with his new magical sword, chipping off pieces of stone, only to get slammed by the golem in return as it splits its attack between him and the dwarven built golem.  As Drex fires off an eldritch blast from the balcony, Mogadon uses the recently received scroll to summon a Stone Warden - a stone armoured dwarven spirit guardian that immediately moves forward to attack.   Morthos rushes down the stairs and slashes at the golem as well, but fails to connect.  The dwarf golem smacks at the eleven one a couple of times and everyone joins in to attack the elven golem, Mogadon firing off a guiding bolt.

After a new more attacks, the dwarven golem was defeated, before the party managed to defeat the elven one.   Just after the combat ended, they spot a figure at the far end of the room - and they get to meet <u>[[Ralekai Gravemore]]</u> for the first time.  Ralekai proves to be a loquacious fellow who recognises Cormir, Drex and Morthos and offers the group hospitality, sending Kunk off to get refreshments as he suggests they head to somewhere more comfortable to sit and discuss matters.  

After initial greetings, Mogadon bluntly asks Ralekai if he is undead - and Ralekai explains how, when he was alive, as his civilisation was falling around him, he made the painful transition to undead status so he could continue to research a cure for the plague.   The group continue to chat as they make their way closer to him, Morthos asks how he can know that he isn't making it worse.   Ralekai answers with a highly technical description of the plague, and then when pressed about his use of the "innocent civilians" starts to explain how it pained his conscience to no end that he had been forced to resort to using innocents to finish his research... Mogadon attacks - "''you had me at undead''".

Drex casts a cloud of daggers on Kunk, who had just appeared in the entranceway of the room, armed with a tray of refreshments.  He cries in pain and stumbles backwards out of the room, dropping the tray.   Mogadon casts a Guiding Bolt spell at Ralekai, and in response, the necromancer summons a cloud kill spell.   Cormir fails his save (19hp damage - leaving him on 3 hp!), Drex saves (taking 9 hp damage), Mogadon saves (taking only 4 hp damage due to his dwarfish resilience) and Morthos saves (taking 9hp damage).  Both Drex and Morthos reflexively cast their hellish rebuke spells, before Drex staggers out of the fog cloud, Morthos dodges forward in the fog and slashes at Ralekai, before withdrawing back outside the cloud.  Cormir takes a second wind (putting him on 11hp) and also rushes forward doing a slash, but Ralekai manages to react with a shield spell, and avoids it.  Mogadon ignores the cloud and stays close, calling for his Stone Guardian to join the fray.

Initiative for the new round. 21 for Cormir, 19 for Drex and Mogadon, and 12 for Morthos.

Cormir, from his position outside the cloud and up the steps, readies his crossbow, Morthos does the same but readies his short bow.  Drex steps out down the side corridor with Spank, but hesitates, unable to target the necromancer.

 



On to <u>[[Session020|Session 020]]</u>

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