Session13


 * 3-30-13**
 * Final Battle and Escape from Thay – and the loss of Yuki, magical girl of love**

We stand in the doorway of a grand chamber with 50 ft tall ceilings and pairs of columns lining the center. Paintings are on the walls and lavish red carpeting leads down to a grand throne on a raised stage. A red-robed wizard stands in front of the throne, a bony hand reaching toward us and beckoning us in with a finger. The mages throw up their magical defenses and we slowly file into the room. Yuki surrounds herself with sanctuary for protection.

He calls out two small dragons, “Fire, Ice, we have dinner guests…” A young, white-scaled dragon fills one alcove, and a young, red-scaled dragon fills the other. We plan to divide, sending the heavy duo of Posy and Uther to occupy the lich, while the others separate to take down the dragons… but before we can fully move up, he casts a large ice wall that’s 3 feet thick, effectively cutting our party in half.

In front of the wall, Erevin moves up to take on the fire dragon alone with his moonblade of ice. Azarius steps around a column and throws out rays of fire at the ice dragon, who charges out and bites him. Suddenly 4 skeletons appear in the front half of the room, as though possibly fading in from invisibility.

In the back half of the room, large specters float in through the walls on either side. One of them drains Thorn with its ghostly touch, weakening him. The other engages Kale, missing him. Wren hits it with a holy water soaked arrow. Mali transforms into a gorilla and tries to smash down the ice wall, but only manages to fracture it.

In the front of the room, Posy charges full force toward the lich, followed by Uther, but the floor in front of the lich is an illusion. Posy falls through the illusion, with Uther falling to his stomach to reach through and grab her arm, leaving her dangling above a floor of sharp spikes and flesh-eating scarabs!

In the back of the room, Yuki dispels the ice wall, dropping it away. Crowe moves up by Thorn, and throws her lightning bolt into the specter. Thorn and Kinu slash into its back.

Azarius throws a massive wave of fire over the ice dragon and manages to take it down. The illusion fades from around it, showing it to be a much lesser drake with no front claws. Mali turns and throws ‘magical lesser restoration poo’ at Thorn, alleviating the drained effect of the spectre.

Sith-like lightning shoots out across the room from the lich, striking hard through Azarius, Mali, and Melloran. Azarius falls to the ground, his soul barely clinging to what was left of his charred body. Erevin battles on with the mighty fire dragon. Kale continues to hold back the spectre that drains him away, while Thorn and Kinu help Crowe with the other. Wren moves forward and heals Azarius, stopping the bleeding, but still leaving him unconscious.

Posy tries desperately to climb out of the pit, holding her axe in one hand and grasping onto Uther with the other. The lich sends his skeletons on Uther, trying to push him forward into the pit as well. He holds his ground, fending them off while trying to pull Posy out.

Yuki sends out her waves of healing over everyone, bringing Azarius awake and barely in time to keep Erevin from falling. Azarius stands up and sends in the final damage to take down the spectre on Crowe.

The lich casts into the ceiling toward the back of the room, sending chunks of ice dropping down around Yuki. Azarius falls back to the floor, unconscious. Mali sends Melloran against the skeletons that continue to battle against the kneeling Uther, still holding desperately onto Posy. Erevin continues to battle the fire dragon, cutting it deeply with his burning ice.

Thorn uses the port of his daggers to move forward, heading along the wall toward the lich. Posy finally manages to get to the top of the pit, and crawls out just as Uther is knocked forward over the edge. She tries to turn and grab him, but it’s too late and he falls in. Posy is enraged and cleaves the skeleton, shattering his bones.

Wren moves back to help Kale, who is weak and desperately still trying to fend off the spectre. She pulls him close to her, leaning her face over his shoulder and blows out a frost breath over the spectre. Yuki channels out her warm healing over everyone, again bringing Azarius to his feet.

Azarius moves over to help Wren and Kale. The lich sends out magic missiles, dropping Mali to the floor and wounding Wren. Erevin drops the fire dragon to the floor, as Kinu shadow steps behind the spectre on Kale and delivers the final blow.

Posy smashes another skeleton, still in a fit of anger and rage. Wren hollers back to Crowe to heal Mali while she sends out a bit of good luck over Erevin. Mali gets back to her feet. Thorn throws his dagger into the lich’s chest and ports up to him! Yuki steps forward, channeling out a positive energy to bring harm to the lich and the last two skeletons that Posy and Melloran battle against. Azarius moves up to help with the skeletons.

Thorn is grabbed by the ‘lich’ and worms and maggots seep out of his arm to crawl out onto Thorn. The illusion around him fades, revealing a walking figure of undead worms and larvae. Mali quickly moves toward the front of the room, while Erevin leaps across the pit to the stage and cuts into the ‘lich’ with his moonblade. Kinu shadow steps to join him. Thorn manages to escape the wormy figure’s grasp. Wren takes time to heal herself and keeps the weak and faded Kale back with her.

Yuki sends out her waves of love and energy, dropping one of the skeletons and again damaging the other and the lich. The ‘lich’ strikes into Erevin, who takes the opportunity to thrust his pendent of Ellistrae into the body of the wormy figure, “Ellistrae, dancing goddess of the moon, bless thee!” The lich is struck with a holy pain, while Kinu and Thorn launch their daggers into his back. Wren hits the lich with an arrow drenched in holy water, and Posy drops the final skeleton.

The wormy lich steps back and shields himself with a wave of cold flames. Mali drops her gorilla form and launches another holy water arrow into him. Erevin fires a barrage of 3 holy water arrows into him. The undead worms hiss in pain. The lich sends out worms and maggots onto Erevin, dropping him unconscious. "EREVIN!" Yuki cries. Kinu steps behind him, stabbing into his back and pulling back her frost-burnt arm. Thorn stabs into him twice through the searing cold pain, leaving Thorn barely still standing… but he is rewarded as the lich finally falls to the floor.

Posy peers into the pit of spikes, but can’t find Uther’s body. Wren has Posy try to throw her across the pit to get to Erevin, but she misses and falls slowly toward the spikes, her feather fall immediately floating her down. Azarius reaches out with his tentacles and pulls her back up to safety. Yuki leaps across and misses, but manages to grab on to the other side of the pit and Kinu helps her up. Yuki lays her warm healing hands on Erevin, bringing him back awake. Kinu helps him up. Uther calls up from the pit that he’s alive… and there’s a lot of treasure down there. 25 k gold worth of stuff, a quiver of arrows, 2 wands, a mithril shield, a longsword, a dagger, a suit of leather armor, a suit of plate armor, a bow, boots, a ring, and a belt.

We try to rest, bracing the doorway closed. Using the pit as a safety net, we have everyone sleep on the stage with Crowe and Wren taking the first watch. Crowe hears something at the door. Wren wakes Mali and Azarius. She and Azarius go to check out the door, leaving Mali and Crowe to defend the others. Wren preps her spell, and listens at the door. The door explodes into the room, sending her back as Thay soldiers come running into the room with a red-robed wizard, “They’re down here!” Wren releases her web spell, covering them in sticky strands. She turns to Azarius, having him light the webs on fire as the two of them make a full run back to the stage. Crowe and Mali wake the others, as Wren pushes them two by two onto the center teleportation pad, hoping it will take them somewhere safer.

Everyone appears in an orchard as soldiers, marked with Szass Tam’s symbols pour into the estate. We set off quietly, in hiding, traveling for days with the militia searching for us. Rest is broken, and healing comes slow. When we come to the Cliffside with the pulley run platforms, we decide to move down to a quieter area, and use rings and witches to take people down in groups safely. We continue to move, ever in hiding.

When we get back to Bezantur, we have to decide to go through the city or through Shanty Town… Erevin takes Melloran with him, as Mali takes bird form and flies ahead to the pirate ship to ready them. Azarius and Yuki travel together through the city, and the others make their quiet walk with the treasure way out and around to the beach, where a boat picks them up on the shoreline. Thay flagged ships follow us in pursuit, but Gar activates an air magic that sends us far ahead. Bellana, hearing that we have her brother, accompanies us with the pirates as we head for Lyrabar.

As we sail quickly through the water, Yuki acts strangely… coming to everyone teary-eyed. "Oh Wren! I love you so much! I'm so glad we're friends." She hugs the elven woman tightly who returns her hug warmly. Yuki tells her that she’s so talented and so beautiful… Wren blinks at her skeptically, “Yuki? What’s wrong?” but Yuki just shakes her head, and continues to talk, “Love him, Wren.” Wren stares at her, wondering why Yuki sounded like she was trying to tell her that she had only a little time left. Knowing that the young priestess of love was also favored by Shar, the goddess of loss, thoughts went quickly through her mind… had they made it through Thay only to find that someone was about to be lost? But who… she said to love him… was Kale going to die? Was she? Wren looked at her questioningly, “Have you seen my death?” Yuki shakes her head again and hugs her, leaving her standing there alone with her unanswered questions.

She goes to Thorn and tousles the hair on his head. She gives him her last daintily wrapped bar of soap and gives him a big hug, smothering his face in her full bosom. “Thorn, you are so brave! Look...after our friends. And...be good.” He looks at her with a raised eyebrow, “Where are you going?” She shakes her head with teary eyes and a forced smile, “I just have to… I just have to go...find Posy!”

She places a beautiful hair clip in Posy's pretty golden hair and smiles, telling her she was beautiful and how much she admired her fierceness. Turning to Mali, she removed her beloved circlet from her own hair and placed it gently on the adorable gnome's, "There! You wanted one, right?" She smiles at Mali and nods, “MUCH better." Her smile softened, "It suits you...Mali...” She leaves them both, again with tears in her eyes.

She finds Azarius and tells him that she knows the curse is not his fault and that he needs to be strong. She embraces him warmly, grateful they'd become precious friends, regretful that she would no longer be able to...help him.

Yuki finds Erevin last, "Aah...Erevin..." She smiles warmly and hugs him tightly. Stepping back, she tilts her pretty head to look up at him, "...So admirable... So...heroic. Shri is so...lucky. Thank you, Erevin. For always being my Protector..." Her voice breaks as he looks at her, bowing slightly, "It has been my honor, my lady." She laughs then kisses him gently on the cheek, murmuring... "...no more time..."...before crumpling suddenly towards the ground. Destiny emerges from her body, leaving it to fall lifeless into Erevin’s quick arms.

Destiny explains that she protected Yuki as long as she could, but she could no longer delay her fate. Erevin’s eyes smolder over Destiny, looking for someone to blame for the priestess’s sudden death. Crowe steps far out of the way. Erevin carries her body to his room where they gently wrap her in sheets, and Crowe casts a gentle repose spell over her body in hopes that they might reach a cleric in time to bring her back from death. Erevin goes to Gar and tells him that the ship can't travel fast enough, and to hurry to Lyrabar.


 * Thay Treasure List**

Yuki Elven chainmail +2 Mali +1 Axiomatic Flaming Burst Dagger (1d6 fire dmg / +2 vs chaotic creatures) Yuki Staff of Charming – topped with a red heart (15 charges) -charm person costs 1 charge / charm monster costs 3 charges Thorn +1 Shocking Longsword Erevin +1 Ghost Touch Frost Shadow-Rapier (it drains heat) Azarius Headband of Mental Prowess (+2 Wis and +2 Cha) Azarius Scepter – Rod of Lesser Empower Wren Necklace of Fireballs (5 charges) 2 – 2D6 fireballs, 2 – 4D6 fireballs, and 1 – 6D6 fireball Erevin Quiver of Arrows (20qty +2 arrows) Wren Wand of Lesser Restoration (10 charges) Unclaimed Wand of Magic Missile (30 charges) 1D4 Thorn +1 Shocking Burst Longsword (1D6 shocking dmg) Azarius +2 Keen Dagger (17-20 crit) Mali Leather armor +2 Kale Full Plate +1 Mali +1 Flaming Bow (1D6 Flaming dmg) Posy Boots of Striding and Springing (+5 acrobatics and +10ft move) Wren Ring of Minor Energy Resistance – Fire (10 points of fire dmg redux) Posy Belt of Giant Strength +2 Yuki +1 Mithril Shield

5k gold each!