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FR - 5E - The Demise of Riverside

Page history last edited by Jon Goranson 3 years, 9 months ago

The Demise of Riverside

 

June 18, 2020

 

Dio wakes up and prepares himself.  He knows what must be done and it will be tough.  Riverside will see Moradin's justice today.  He slowly gets dressed then dons his armor, praying the entire time.  He's quiet during breakfast and when they go to get their potions and the unguent to hide their scent.  Dio lets the others speak, so he can keep that calm, that comfort, and still mutters prayers.  

 

Dio almost loses it when they meet up with the militia.  It would seem Olaf is in charge of them.  Dio hears the mayor tell the troops what to do but it's all he can do not to stare at Olaf.  Olaf?  He bungles paperwork, barely keeps the mayor informed of meetings, and now is in charge of men?  Does the mayor not actually want this to succeed?  However, thoughts of this are gone when Dio watches Olaf lead the men.  He keeps discipline, makes sure their armor is correctly tightened, and weapons properly stowed.  Olaf doesn't ask his men to do anything he doesn't.  Olaf carries his gear and shows the men how to strap it so the weight is distributed evenly, making it easier for long treks.  Olaf even has some tricks on knots for quick release of the gear in case of an ambush.  

 

On top of all of that, though, Olaf obvious cares about the men.  He calls them by name, helps them out, and shows them what needs to be done.  Dio wonders now why Kristoff keeps him at a desk?  

 

The trek to Riverside goes fast.  Dio senses the nervous energy among the men.  Some are eager to fight, mostly younger but a few in the middle.  The rest are nervous and not wanting to do this but getting themselves ready to do what must be done.  Sadly, they have to leave the men nearly a hundred yards away and in a small grove.  If they do need them, the militia won't be able to get to them fast.  

 

After going half the distance to Riverside, the group stops and pulls out their unguent.  It smells a bit metallic but is white colored.  Dio puts it on his skin and tabard, not wanting to get too much of it on his armor.  They get a bit closer and Kaji reads the scroll of invisibility to undead.  Dio still can't believe he didn't see the signs of undead on them when he first met them.  As Kaji finishes, the world gets darker and they all know they are under the spell.  

 

It was Rickard who made the first misstep.  They had approached Riverside from the east and watched as the villagers went about chores.  Taking care of animals, fixing tools, and still working to repair the buildings.  Several villagers were within sixty feet of the trapdoor.  Further, unless the spell covered the trapdoor in an illusion, seeing it up might still give them away.  As Dio came up to the trapdoor, Rickard stepped wrong and several chunks of rock slipped and rolled away.  The group froze.  Rolen was watching the villagers and two had looked over.  After a few minutes, the villagers went back to their chores.  It was a few more minutes, how long did the invisibility last, before they could attempt to open the trap door and go down.  They make it, though, and again wait a few minutes but no one comes to check on it.  

 

The first room is as Rolen described it, Dio realizes.  Looks like a butcher shop setup, with tables having tools to cut and slice.  Dio tries not to think about what they are cutting and slicing.  Sadly, only Dio and Rolen can see in the dark, so Kaji has to create light.  They move across to the door and after a quick search, open it to see a hallway.  They are cautious but after a turn, they come to a room.  Gorstag opens the door and stops.  The obvious fact glares at them in the form of several zombies, just standing in the room.  Swaying.  Not blinking.  Not breathing.  Just swaying.  This is what Dio thought of when someone said undead, not the villagers above.  The rest of the room serves as a kitchen.  It's obvious this is where the villagers eat, knowing they can do this in the village itself.  Dio shudders but they keep going.  A few scuffs attract the zombies but then they part for the group, as if the invisibility also discourages them from coming close. 

 

Once past the dining room, they have another hallway to a third room.  Again, zombies wonder around.  This time, it's a library.  Rickard is curious but the spell is limited and they want to search the place first.  There is another corridor and they keep following it.  

 

The new room proves to be a chapel, devoted to ... well, Dio isn't sure.  And there are more zombies.  Rickard sucks in breath when he sees the symbol on the wall but motions he will explain later.  Again, the zombies seem to avoid them.  As they past the pews and lectern, again someone manages to scrap it and the zombies get curious and move closer.  Rickard gets curious about the book but the group sees the ladder going down and heads toward that.  

 

The room below is free of zombies.  It has two rows of four pillars and a statue of a ghoul between the farthest pillars.  Rickard can barely contain himself.  Dio is glad Rickard waited until they were all there and the trap above closed.  

 

Rickard goes on to explain that the symbol and book, and now this room, form a ritual to the demon lord Kabriri, lord of the ghouls.  Rickard says that not many have seen this room but from his readings, he would surmise that it's the place where those who want to serve and become a ghoul, perhaps like the villagers, would do a ritual.  However, that's all Rickard knows.  It's all speculation on his part.  There are tracks and traces of blood around the room but nothing that tells anything else.  Dio contains himself from smashing the profane statue as they continue to the next room.  

 

Another ritual room, again two columns of pillars but two statues back to back in here.  Rickard can't help himself and looks closer, almost leaving the invisibility spell.  Rickard explains that one statue looks demonic and the other looks a bit less ghoulish.  With nothing else and another door, they keep going.  

 

A third ritual room with more pillars and three statues.  Even Dio can see that the statues represent various stages of an unholy transformation.  Perhaps to part demon, perhaps to ghoul.  Rickard again drones on and on, speculating what it means, and wanting to get notes on this.  Dio isn't sure of that but says nothing.  Nothing else but another passage out.  The passage holds robes and more symbols of Kabriri.  Kaji says they should wear the robes as a disguise.  

 

"I ain't wearing that," spits Dio.  

 

"Nor am I," adds Rickard.  

 

"Okay, okay," says Kaji, holding up his hands in surrender.  "It was just a thought!"  

 

As they open the double doors, with the symbol on the doors, to the next room, the invisibility is shattered.  Several zombies and another type of undead are in this room.  The wight, an undead that can talk and drain a person with their touch, tries to talk to them and get them to join.  None of them have it.  

 

Dio can't tell if he's happy or disappointed.  The main creature, the wight, was going to be a tough fight.  Should have been a tough fight.  The fires of Kossuth burned it to ash in ten heartbeats.  They still had to destroy the rest of the zombies in this room.  As long as one zombie remained in here, the power of regeneration would still be a gift to them all, including the villagers.  The rest go down fast enough.  There is no treasure and Dio isn't sure he would want any.  Rickard finds treasure and he tries to sketch the room but Dio can't wait any longer.  Finding no other exits, and with the wight destroyed, Dio smashes the statues.  Rickard sketches faster then sprints back to start on the previous room before they get to it.  

 

Rickard stays ahead of the group, making sketches and taking notes as Gorstag and Dio smash the statues and deface everything about this demon.  As Dio swings in the second room they came to, Rickard rushes to the first room only to stop.  Dio hears the buzz of magic and the blast of one of Rickard's spells.  

 

"The zombies from the first floor are here," yells Rickard.  

 

Again, not much of a fight.  Dio and Gorstag were able to get to the doorway and hold the zombies off while Rolen, Kaji, and Rickard uses spells.  Soon enough, the zombies are gone.  Rickard gets some final notes and sketches before Dio and Gorstag topple the last statue.  

 

They return to the chapel and Rickard wants to read the unholy book!  However, it's also obvious to Dio it didn't take much to convince him not to read it and Kaji uses Kossuth's flames to destroy it.  It's when they are in the library that they hear the villagers.  Bradley is wondering why they ruined it all!  He's wailing about how they didn't hurt anyone and kept to themselves before they were viciously attacked by the group.  Dio almost feels a pang of guilt at that but as the villagers come through and attack them, trying to bite them, Dio overcomes any feelings of guilt.  With the villagers not able to regenerate, they don't last long.  

 

They burn what they can and then head out.  

 

Gorstag isn't too annoyed as they get back to the men and sees they are playing dice.  Dio notices that several had been closer, scouting it out, and Olaf might have looked like he was playing dice, or watching the game, but he was facing the direction of the village and had could see scouts he set out.  Olaf grins and says they didn't know how long the group would be and the dice helped distract them.  Gorstag rolls his eyes at this but Dio nods, knowingly.  Again, perhaps more to Olaf than they thought.  

 

The trek back to Ashriver is pleasant enough.  When they get back, they go speak to Kristoff while Olaf dismisses the men.  Kristoff genuinely seems torn to Dio about what had been done.  Kristoff then shows them a map of the area and gives them a rundown on the other towns.  He wishes Tymora be with them as they keep hunting for Viktor.  

 

450 xp

 

GM Notes

  • I thought this went well.  We did end early but rather than start the next part, as Marc was gone, we stopped after the area was explained.  
  • With Marc out, I was running Dio in an NPC instance of d20Pro and it rolled well for him!  And also poorly for the bad guys!
  • I have had this happen where the tough bad guy is taken out quickly.  I allow it.
    • I know it might seem anticlimactic but otherwise, it removes player agency. 
  • The voices I picked for some NPCs just hurt my throat.  I need to watch that.   

 

 

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