Session 10 - The Claws of the Lioness, the Demon Waters, Pt 6

Dramatis Personae:

• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Elven Spellsword - Braem the Burning, Arcanist-Guardian and Flametongue - Played by Ben
• The Mage - Timlaras "Tim" of Aesta-Suvash, Thaumaturge and Necromancer - Played by Scott
• The Henchman and Fighter - Džim of Aesta-Suvash, Warrior - Played by Scott
• The Henchman and Thief - Arana of Aesta-Suvash, Hood - Played by Scott
• The Cleric of St. Faruin - Jorsau of Vlamesht, Catechist - Played by PJ
• The Mage - Mixebram "Mix" of Aesta-Suvash, Arcanist and Magical Scholar - Played by George
• The Mystic - Ali Abbas the Immaculate - Played by Paul

When last we left our heroes... After briefly discussing the possibility of running back to town, hiring more help, etc, the parties decided they would open the door to the temple's central chamber, shoot a fireball from Timlaras' Wand of Fireballs, and then run. Before implementing this plan, Mix decided to don the strange bleeding coin holy symbol he'd found earlier that day. With their preparations made, they threw open the door and Timlaras shot a fireball into the center of the room, roasting several of its occupants alive (despite the fact that they were standing knee-deep in water). There was a brief skirmish at the door before he shot another fireball,  then passed the wand to his apprentice, Mix, who fired the wand again. The second and third fireballs proved decisive, melting or boiling all but a few of the beastmen slaves of the strange creatures from the abyss. 

Unfortunately, this is where things began to go pear-shaped: a spirit arose from the body of the last one of the fish-man priests -- a spirit that looked suspiciously like Mix, save for the addition of gills and a strange weeping wound at the center of its chest. The creature (which the party realized it could not evade, since it simply emerged from the water on the other side of them when they tried to run) identified itself as the Dead God and addressed Mix as his servant and prophet, and demanded the worship of the rest of the party. After a couple of abortive attempts to attack it, the party was saved by Mix, who managed to convince it to leave them for the time being, and leave the conversion of these infidels up to him. 

At this point, the party (after almost walking away without searching the chamber for treasure) looted it, finding a massive amount of sunken treasure (no doubt offerings to the god the fish-men worshipped), comprised mostly of highly portable gems and jewels. As they did so, the party cleric and paladin took an hour to demolish the ancient cursed altar, finally bringing the evil at the heart of that accursed place to an end. While they were doing so, the door to the chamber opened, and a trio of rough-looking characters looked in. They explained that they were adventurers, but since the party had already arrived, they would be moving along now. 

As the party prepared to head back to town, Mix used the abilities granted to him by the medallion to heal the downed Arana. He was able to cure her wounds, allowing her to stand and fight (though she would probably never use a bow again), however as she stood she coughed up a large, bloody coin, a slightly smaller replica of the one Mix wore. Looking closely at it, the party realized that the once formless image on both coins had now gradually clarified into something resembling Mix in profile. Everyone felt uneasy at this, but it was Braem the Burning who actually did something about it. Drawing his swords, Braem demanded Mix hand over the unholy symbol. When Mix refused (and prayed to his new god, who did not answer his prayer), Braem ran him through, dropping him to 0 HP. Seizing the medallion (and being tempted by it, but resisting), Braem wrapped it up and gave it to the cleric for safekeeping.

Carrying the unconscious but stabilized Mix out of the dungeon, they were ambushed near the entrance by a group of local ruffians and outlaws -- the three the party had met earlier, plus the rest of their band. The fight was brief but deadly, with the cleric Jorsau being slain in the altercation before Tim ended the battle with yet another Fireball. The last of the outlaws was slain as he fled by a returning Džim. Džim made peace with his employer after Tim promised to give him a raise, but not to give him a raise in the sense of raising his corpse after his death. 

And so, wounded and weary, with their pockets full of treasure and their hearts full of foreboding, the companions returned to Aesta Suvash.

Monsters killed:

• 6 Kua-Toa
• 8 Orcs
• 4 Gnolls
• 8 Bandits

Treasure recovered:

• Crystal Geode (2,000 GP)
• Facet-cut flawless black sapphire (10,000 GP)
• Flawless diamond (4,000 GP)
• 19 jade carvings of myth, depicting the creation of the world by Alsudhvi, who raised the dry land out of the chaos of the primordial waters (3 stone, 3,800 gold)
• Four opal cameo carvings of the four consorts of the Lord of Waters (3/6 stone, 3,200 GP)

Player Characters Killed:

• The Cleric of St. Faruin - Jorsau of Vlamesht, Catechist - Played by PJ