Session 84: The Freeing of the Slaves
[Jan 25th, 2022]
The heroes look about the ten hungry, cold and weary people, now freed from the frost giants. They discuss among themselves, unsure what to do about the people. They eventually decide to bring them over to the nearby smithy, expecting it to still be abandoned after their attack the other night.
Agandar scouts ahead and Kiltro scouts the rear, they are then able to time their escape from the gristmill to the smithy. Once they reach the buidling, however, they find that it is locked. Brango and Shrugga then burst the door open, finding it empty. The freed slaves immediately help themselves to the barrels of food and drink, and begin to burn old barrels to create some heat.
The heroes decide to leave the smithy, promising to return before the night is over. As they trek northward, up the mountain slope, a mighty blizzard begins to blow across the landscape. The heroes then reach the northern caverns, high on the mountain slope. As they approach the cavern entrances, they hear the growl of large creatures, as a band of ten frost drakes crawl out of the dark caverns. The drakes fly into the air, blasting the heroes with bursts of magical cold. The others rush as the heroes striking them with fang and tail.
The heroes strike back at the drakes, with Brango trying to hold them back as Arngeir rushes around healing and striking with his axe. Abhlesh provides temporal protection, taking his friends out of phase to lessen the effect of the freezing breaths. Duke turns into a brass dragon, soaring into the air and fighting the drakes above. He then descends numerous times to unleash a powerful jet of flames upon the drakes. One drake then climbs over a rock to strike at Agandar, who then blasts it with a searing light from his hand. Kiltro then summons a powerful blasts of lightning that ricochets through each of the drakes. He does this again, felling many of them. The heroes are then able to finish the rest off.
The heroes then head into the icy caverns and treat their wounds. They then explore the caverns, finding numerous winding tunnels. They find a strange wall of solid ice in one tunnel, with the ice blocking the way to the northwest. The tunnels all eventually head to a nesting cavern deep in the frozen mountain. They mostly find old bones in the cave, but also come across four helpless frost drake eggs. Agandar and Duke convinces them to leave them be, and they head out.
The heroes then push their way through the blizzard winds, around the back of the great longhouse. Agandar notices a secret door cracked open and the heroes sneak into Gregganor’s bedroom. The longhouse is quiet, as it is the middle of the night, and they heroes are able to search about the place. Kiltro finds a pit trap protecting the throne, where they find numerous sacks filled with platinum and gold coins, along with quite a few powerful healing tinctures.
The heroes continue their way along the north, high end of the camp, reaching the slave pens. They quickly take out the four frost giant guards and head into the camp. They find that there are still seventeen people remaining in the camp, but Ingrahild is still missing. Moreover, Danarya appears to be absent as well. The heroes gather the people and Brango rallies their hearts for the journey ahead. They march through the blinding snows towards the smithy, where they regroup with the other ten people and gather supplies for the long road.
Agandar then leads the large group out of the giant camp and down the mountain’s frozen slopes. As they reach the valley floor, the blizzard ends and warmer weather greets them. The rising dawn brightens their backs as they traverse across the valley to the hidden encampment, where the twenty-seven rescued slaves are reunited with the five at the camp. Agandar then summons the nearby fey and animals to conjoin a massive magical feast. The fey create a long table made of fallen trees that allows all thirty-seven of them to sit together and share in the great feast of the forest.
The morning greets them and for the first time in many, many days, smiles are bountiful and the heroes are filled with feelings of great accomplishment.
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Session 85: Entering the Tomb
[Feb 1st, 2022]
The heroes look to their past accomplishments and dwell on the tasks ahead of them. Abhlesh grows worried about the impending end of the timestream and his place to see the rupture repaired, wondering if he is but a tool to accomplish the deed. Brango dwells on Ingrahild, worried that with Danarya missing as well, that perhaps they have finished torturing Ingrahild. Kiltro worries about the spellscars that still grow in number out there in the wild. Duke worries about the larger task at hand, finding himself so far removed from his initial mission to seek out ancient Jotun ruins. He did not set out to fight a war against them. Agandar dwells greatly on his relationship with Danarya, and how she is connected to the Vault of Thorns and the future of the Council.
The heroes rest throughout the long day, and decide to set out for Skyrgaard in the night to arrive around dawn. They leave their tents behind for the survivors. As they head up towards the mountains, they come across a large band of ogres and hill giants, seemingly leaving Skyrgaard. The heroes leave the giants be. When the heroes finally arrive at Skyrgaard, they no patrols in sight and a somewhat deserted camp. Perhaps the freeing of the slaves was the last straw to break the camp’s spirit and comradery.
The heroes head up towards the Longhouse, finding the front entrance barred and closed. They sneak into the back secret door, sending Kiltro in to investigate the situation. The young half-orc overhears a few giants talking, it seems they have set up a defense of the remaining frost giants in the longhouse. Kiltro verifies this, looking into the larger chamber, finding over two dozen frost giants. The heroes decide not to pursue them.
The heroes head up towards the crypt entrance, ready to face Skirkatla herself. As they pass one of the watchtowers, it gives off a familiar odor and invokes fear. However, the ignore it and continue on. They then reach the massive humanoid effigy of burning wood and wicker. Abhlesh realizes they might have used this effigy to burn slaves in sacrifice to Thryissmyr. As the heroes approach, the giant wickerman comes to life and reaches out to grab Arngeir, throwing him into a burning cage in the center of his chest.
The heroes leap into action, trying to get away from the colossal construct. It tramples over them, leaving them covered in burning bits of wood. Duke turns into a copper dragon and blasts the wickerman with a jet of acid. This encourages the others and they prepare to fight instead of flee. Arngeir uses the magic of the gods to free himself, and drops hard to the ground below. Brango hacks at the wickerman’s feet, and Arngeir gets up and does likewise.
Duke is then picked up out of the air and thrown in the burning cage, then Brango is grabbed and thrown in there as well. They continue to bite and hack at the construct from the inside. Then Agandar turns into a copper dragon as well and roars as he soars towards the colossal burning effigy. He unleashes a powerful blast of acid into its face and the entire construct collapses and crumbles into a burning heap.
As the remains of the guardian burns, Agandar is reminded of an old memory, of the Flame Druids, and their eventual betrayal that left Agandar and his family as exiles.
Agandar: Flame Betrayal
The heroes treat their wounds and head towards the crypt. They find two massive stone doors into the place, there is a Jotun inscription above the doors, Skirkatla Hjotunsdottir, and a date – 11 Heartrest 184 GR for her birth, over 500 years ago., but no date for her death. Duke acknowledges that Skirkatla must be undead. Brango manages to push the massive doors open and the heroes enter.
They find a dark tomb and Arngeir summons a powerful light. They find two walls covered in mortared skulls glinting in the darkness. The heroes then step into the room, which triggers a magical trap. They are all frozen to the ground as two frost giant elite guards rush at them. The guards breath more cold breath upon them leaving the heroes trapped.
Brango tries to fight off one of the guards as Arngeir does the other. Agandar and Kiltro throw spells as Duke tries to help, but goes down from a wayward axe. Duke is eventually revived and the battle continues as the heroes blast the guards with fire spells and well-hewn weapons.
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Session 86: Baelmourn and Soulgouger
[Feb 8th, 2022]
The heroes coordinate their efforts, trying to gain advantage against the two elite frost giant guards. After a few more well-placed spells and strikes by Brango and Arngeir, the guards lay dead. The heroes listen carefully, finding no sounds coming down the hall. So, they treat their wounds and take a quick rest before continuing onward.
The heroes check out the western pair of double doors, finding another long hall stretching out in darkness, with a faint light at the far end. They close the door and head to the northern set of doors. Inside those doors, they find a narrow hallway, cracked and crude compared to the other. The eastern side of the hall is broken and filled with debris, showing entrances into tube-like tunnels into the hard, cold earth and ice within the mountain.
The heroes press forward and open a nearby door in the hallway. Inside, they find a disturbing sight, numerous piles of humanoid bodies, likely former slaves. Some are neatly stacked, others strewn about haphazardly, but all of them seem missing parts of their bodies and appendages. It is then that the heroes hear a loud clank of clattering bone down the hallway to the north. Out of the darkness, steps a great necrotic monstrosity, composed of numerous humanoid and giant bones strewn together with dried sinew and metallic plates. It is the very same abomination that Abhlesh had seen within one of the giant’s mind. The Baelmourn.
The great monstrosity begins to spin on its massive three bony legs, slicing the air with its deadly bone blades. The heroes, however, are ready for the attack. Abhlesh uses the greatest of his powers to summon a powerful temporal distortion field to rewind wounds received by his friends, and to strike against the Baelmourn with damage that has yet come to pass. Duke summons a create wall of chromatic energy, trying to keep the creature at bay. Arngeir summons a wall of blades to keep the creature from fleeing northward. Brango then throws his Earthspike Javelin, causing a stalagmite to burst forth from the floor, piercing the great beast.
Duke then summons the power of gravity to pull the creature through the many deadly walls of energy. The creature then mindless reenters the deadly walls to strike back at the heroes, cutting at them with its giant blades. The heroes were quite prepared for this battle, and within only a minute, they destroyed the creature, blasting it with spell and hammer until it clattered upon the floor in a pile of bones.
The heroes rest after the great battle, treating their wounds and searching the area. They don’t find anything of interest, and the room in the north seems ruined from trying to contain the Baelmourn. Arngeir says a prayer over the many dead bodies, trying to bless their journey to the afterlife. The heroes then head to the western hallway. As they begin to march down the hall, they hear a large creature charging towards them. It is a massive undead mammoth named Soulgouger, wearing resplendent barding.
It charges into the heroes with two more elite guards beside it. The heroes prepare to defend themselves, but the mammoth then grabs Brango in its trunk and charges down the hallway with the dwarf. The other heroes stay and fight off the frost giants as Brango uses the power of Agrimmosh to grow to giant size and fight off the mammoth alone. Abhlesh eventually moves down to heal Brango, but the mammoth goes on another tirade and tramples all the heroes and the giants as it charges through the hall.
The mammoth then grabs Duke with its trunk and tries to head northward. But Duke transforms into a gold dragon, biting into the mammoth and holding it at bay for a moment. The heroes then fell the frost giants and corner the mammoth in the main entrance hall. After a few grueling rounds of attacks, the beast is finally felled. Kiltro identifies the magical barding as having the power to grant flight. Agandar happily cleans the leather and bronze barding and dons it on Shrugga, making the polar bear seem quite regal.
The heroes explore the western hall, finding a new addition to the tomb where numerous statues of ancient warriors and priests of the Skirlaling tribe are housed, likely Skirkatla’s relatives and descendants. The heroes treat their wounds, then head northwest up the corridor into a grand hall with a vaulted ceiling. The heroes then hear the sound of clip-clap as four large eight-legged svathurim charge towards them. The leader is headless, holding his own head in one of his hands. The head calls out, “I am the Decapitant Lord, you shall fall before my spear!”
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Session 87: The Decapitant Lord and the Laboratory
[Feb 15th, 2022]
The heroes stand firm as the svathurim and the Decapitant Lord charge towards them. The Lord seems to have once been a mighty svathurim, but now he is dead, holding his head in his clutched hand.
Duke summons a great wall of red, shimmering light to keep the svathurim at bay, but they simply charge through it in defiance. The Decapitant Lord tramples through the heroes, knocking them around with his thundering hooves and deadly spear. All of the heroes, except Arngeir and Duke, find themselves deafened by the mighty thunderous charge and filled with fear and trepidation from the undead warrior.
Agandar summons a mighty flaming vortex to strike and assault the svathurim. Abhlesh goes invisible and cast the same dweomer upon Brango, who is oblivious to his invisibility. Brango moves in to cut down the svathurim with Shrugga and Arngeir’s help. The others blast them with spells as best they can. The Lord then slams into a nearby pillar, causing part of the roof to collapse on Kiltro. Eventually the other svathurim are slain and only the Decapitant Lord remains. He claims that if he is stuck down he will rise again. Duke presses him on this, and he says that he is cursed for daring to try to take Skirkatla’s throne after her passing. She then beheaded him and cursed him to forever guard her tomb. The heroes then finish off the Decapitant Lord, with Duke immolating him in fire, burning him away into nothingness.
The heroes then hear someone opening the door to the west, they all rush into a nearby door, finding themselves huddling inside a small guard room. They then treat their wounds and find a few treasures in the room’s footlockers. They debate whether they should leave now and rest or continue looking around the tomb. They decide to search one more room.
They head to the west doors, finding them locked. Kiltro miraculously unlocks them and the heroes move in. They find themselves in a massive necromantic laboratory, with four large bubbling cauldrons of a strange fluid. They hear a voice around the corner, a dark sinister voice talking to someone, “The time is now, my dear, I will prepare you for the experiment.” A meek, pained voice responds and Brango recognizes it as Ingrahild. The heroes charge into the room, finding a large, dark-cloaked giant in a small room with Ingrahild.
Brango rushes at the giant shouting for Ingrahild. She manages to run past the giant and out of the room. The giant, Nephandros, then calls for his minions to rise, and four grotesque creatures climb out of the bubbling cauldrons.
The heroes find themselves surrounded as these ghoul-like monsters, called gluttoners, strike out at them. Agandar sends Shrugga to push a nearby table into the door, and Brango holds the door shut, keeping Nephandros locked in the small room.
The heroes then pull back, finding the many gluttoners too much to handle. Duke turns into a fire elemental, but is soon paralyzed. Agandar throws fiery seeds upon two of the creatures, keeping them in the fire. Ingrahild is then hit and paralyzed as well. Arngeir rushes at Ingrahild and throws her body over his shoulder and rushes her away. Brango pulls back, trying to protect his allies. Kiltro then summons a wall of stone around the two burning gluttoners, effectively walling them off in a fiery prison. The heroes then pull back away from the beasts. Agandar is hit on his way out, but his Elven heritage makes him immune to their supernatural paralysis.
Abhlesh throws a magical gem to the ground, blocking their escape with a summon earth elemental. The heroes continue running, trying to get some distance from their enemies…
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Session 88: Tactical Retreat and Frost Worms
[Feb 22th, 2022]
The heroes continue fleeing from the gluttoners and their tomb giant master. Arngeir rushes through the large, cold halls of Skirkatla’s tomb with the dwarf Ingrahild upon his back. She is still paralyzed and unable to move. Kiltro and Duke (who is still in fire elemental form) lead the way out of the tomb into the blowing winds. Agandar hops on Shrugga’s back to ride out of the place quickly. The others follow. Brango moves the slowest and finds the gluttoners gaining on him. Kiltro summons a brass dragon to hold them off as the rest of them rush out of the complex.
Brango then uses a magical feather token to summon a ladder and uses it to help hold the doors closed. Ingrahild finds she can move again and the heroes rush down the mountainside, away from Skyrgaard and Skirkatla’s tomb. They head into the mountains and Duke uses his powerful staff to summon a cabin, which they somewhat disguise with the magical spike. The heroes then plop inside the small one-room building and try to warm up by the fire.
Ingrahild is ravenously hungry and shares the woes from her time captured by the tomb giant, Nephandros. She does not know if Danarya was also captured there. She seems quite distraught from the whole ordeal and has lost much of her initial courage when she was in the slave camp. Brango does his best to encourage her and he shares tales about their ancestors, the lost Harkarak clan of the north.
The heroes sleep the night away and Arngeir and Agandar treat their diseases. They then head down into the valley to find the other escaped slaves. Ingrahild is glad to see many of them have survived. The heroes leave many supplies with them, including bows, crossbows, and blankets and sleeping bags to help them cope with the encroaching winter. They then say their farewells and promise to return as soon as they can to help them return to Jarnby.
The heroes return to Skyrgaard, finding the camp even more disserted than before. The grand Longhouse has its doors left open and inside it is cold and empty. Kiltro finds a note upon the table left for Skirkatla, it reads:
Skirkatla, The Skirlalings are dishonored by your failures and your attempt to move us away from Thryissmyr worship towards Urgathanatos has proven to be disastrous for our clan. The rest of us will not follow your ways no more. We shall seek the to join the Storm Tyrant’s army on our own.
The heroes then head back towards the doors of Skirkatla’s tomb, but find that it is sealed and they cannot enter. Brango then remembers the ice walls in the frost drake caverns, and they decide to try entering that way. They head into the caverns and find the solid wall of ice. They spend over an hour sending flame spells and chipping at it with axes, but eventually breach through the ten feet of solid ice. They find a series of tunnels on the far side and Agandar realizes that they were created by some large burrowing creature. The heroes follow the tunnels, with Agandar guiding them west towards the crypt.
They eventually come across a larger cavern covered in ice and see the broken wall of Skirkatla’s tomb on the far side. As they cross the chamber, they hear a low rumble and four great frost worms rise up to strike at them.
The worms breathe forth great blasts of cold energy and disorient them with a high-pitched trill. Duke heads off to spread out away from their icy breaths, but finds himself accosted by one of the worms and is nearly killed. The others fell one of the worms, but realize that things are a bit more dire than they had anticipated.
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Session 89: The Fall of Nephandros
[Mar 1st, 2022]
The heroes continue to move towards the exit tunnel on the western side of the cavern, trying to make some distance between themselves and the frost worms. Arngeir summons a mighty wall of magical axes to hold back the frost worms, it cuts them, but the worms manage to burrow through the ice below the wall and emerge on the other side. The heroes continue to blast them with spells and well-placed blows until the final worms fall dead.
The heroes spend a good hour treating their wounds and preparing themselves before venturing further. Agandar leads them through the final tunnels and they emerge in the broken wall within Skirkatla’s tomb. They find the southern doors closed, but otherwise unlocked. They head into the entry hall with the glistening humanoid skulls. The main entrance door has two massive iron bars keeping it from being opened from the outside. The denizens are apparently unaware of the ice-worm tunnel entrance.
The heroes head back towards Nephandros’s lab, carefully entering the room. They find the same bubbling cauldrons, but the room seems quiet at first. Duke, Abhlesh, and Arngeir stay back near the door as the others push forward to see if Danarya is trapped in the other holding cell. However, Nephandros, the tomb giant, steps out of the corner. He tells them that Danarya is not here, and the the hag, Dimmvildr, had taken her days before. He admits he does not know where the hag has gone. He then summons his gluttoner undead minions to attack.
The heroes pull into the center of the room, with Brango using Agrimmosh to grow giant-sized and pushing a table over for cover. Arngeir picks up Duke and charges towards the others, trying to keep him safe. The gluttoners then burst out of the cauldrons and charge at the heroes. Brango and Arngeir are paralyzed by their claws, leaving the spellcasters to try and hold things together. They throw numerous fireballs and blasts of chain lightning that rip through the enemies. Nephandros is killed quickly. Duke then pulls back some of them with a gravity well. The heroes continue to cut away at the gluttoners who infect them with disease and try to paralyze them. Eventually the heroes prevail and defeat the beasts, with Abhlesh blasting the last two with a wave of positive energy.
The heroes search the area, and do not find Danarya, much as Nephandros had said. They find a magical ring upon his person and Duke then finds a secret door to a small treasure chamber. A powerful necromantic blast trap hits them all and saps much of their strength. Kiltro then reveals numerous treasures within the metal chest. They pocket the ancient trinkets and magical elixirs, but also find a strange single chainlink, cut from a piece of chainmail armor, it is wrapped in a silk cloth. They take it, not sure what it might mean, but Duke has a hunch it is connected to Skirkatla or the Decapitant Lord.
The heroes decide to try one more room and head to the single door in the great hall. They find a small shrine room dedicated to some of the giant’s worse enemies. A shrine to honor their enemies that they defeated in battle. They find dwarven and orc names inscribed on memorial slabs beneath humanoid skulls on pillars. The skull on the south wall suddenly flares into life, glowing and speaking.
It is Akargrim, the dwarven hero, and he claims that Hhurren Springbane wrongfully won victory over him and he demands justice for the now immortal Springbane. A powerful magical effect fill the air, but only Brango succumbs to its power. He then grabs Akargrim’s cracked greataxe and marches towards the north to seek out Springbane and gain vengeance for his kin.
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Session 90: Death to Hhurrun Springbane
[Mar 22nd, 2022]
The heroes manage to talk Brango down and get him to wait for some time. They treat their wounds and discuss the situation for quite some time. They eventually decide that they are capable of continuing and seeing where Akargrim’s quest leads them.
Brango leads the way into the next couple chambers, where they find a grand hall with black tile and stairs leading to a metallic black door. As per Akargrim’s warning, Brango ignored the black doors to the west and headed eastward. They enter a large broken chamber where the wall has fallen away to the north and a great ravine splinters the mountain. Down below they see a crude bridge crossing a waterway. The heroes continue one to the east, and Brango’s borrowed axe hums with anticipation, he knows they are near.
The heroes prepare themselves for battle and charge into the next room. They find five large stone thrones dedicated to the greatest warriors of Skirkatla’s ancient past. They are now nothing more than large rotting corpses. However, four of the five corpses rise to fight them, one of which animates to the spirit of Hhurrun Springbane. The zombies charge at the heroes trying to grab them and crush them. However, the heroes manage to maintain a good defensive position at the doorway, with Abhlesh summoning a field of positive energy to wear away the zombies, and Agandar summons a wall of fire to burn at them.
Soon, Brango is able to fell the head of the undead Hhurrun Springbane, ending the geas upon him. The heroes then work together to fell the rest of the frost giant zombies. With their enemies defeated, the heroes treat their wounds and return to the chamber of the fallen enemies. Akargrim’s spirit returns and thanks them for helping him gain his final revenge. The axe he gives to Brango, it now permanently enchanted with powerful runes of strength and valor. The axe is restored to its full glory. Akargrim also warns them of a curse upon the black doors to Skirkatla’s tomb, saying they must find the forgotten name of the Decapitant Lord to pass and to end the Lord’s curse. Otherwise, there may be a secret entrance into the Skirkatla’s tomb hidden in the chambers to the west. Akargrim’s spirit then fades away.
The heroes decide to return to Skyrgaard and find a place to rest. They head through the worm tunnels and head to the Longhouse, but find it too large and cold to stay warm. They then gather what leftover furs and cloths they can find and make beds in the old smithy, where they light a prominent fire to stay warm through the night. The next morning, they find their diseases are dealt with and they return to Skirkatla’s tomb through the worm tunnels.
The heroes then head towards the western doors mentioned by Akargrim, where they find a maze of catacombs. Embedded in the walls are clusters of frost-giant skulls to honor the dead over the many centuries. Each cluster belongs to a different family within the tribe. The heroes traverse through the maze like tunnels, but then hear a strange scrapping sound. They find themselves surrounded by strange frost-giant sized undead creatures who are mostly skeletal with a long grasping tongue.
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Session 91: The Throne of the Deathless Queen
[Mar 29th, 2022]
The heroes pull together as the four undead monstrosities charge forward, their long unnatural tongues reaching out for them. Brango is struck by the northern creature and immediately becomes paralyzed by its touch. Agandar sends Shrugga to hold the eastern way, blocking two of the creatures from approaching. Arngeir charges south to take the fourth creature. Duke, Kiltro, and Abhlesh blast them with spells as the others try to hold them back. Agandar heals Shrugga continuously.
Duke then summons an elemental confluence that seems to keep the other two busy as Shrugga is forced to flee. Brango regains himself and takes out the northern creature and joins the others as Arngeir takes out the southern one. Eventually, the heroes are able to finish off the rest of the strange mohrgs.
The heroes treat their wounds and rest for a bit before continuing their exploration of the ancient catacomb of frost giant skulls. Duke continuously looks for any name or reference to the Decapitant Lord, but fails to find anything significant, nor any signs of any svathurim skulls at all. The heroes explore the depths of the catacombs, winding their way through the maze. They then decide to look for the secret entrance promised by Akargrim. Agandar is able to find a portion of the wall that swings out, revealing a set of stairs that rise up to another secret door.
Brango leads the way, approaching the door. The heroes have a quick discussion, not quite sure if they are ready to face Skirkatla, but wanting to take advantage of the surprise and the fact that the Decapitant Lord is currently indisposed. Brango opens the door and reveals a grand throne room with the undead frost giantess sitting upon the throne. She immediately sees them and Brango charges in to fight, using Agrimmosh to grow to giant size.
The heroes soon find themselves outnumbered, as two ghostly witches, wrathed in green flame appear, throwing magical flames at them. Then four skeletal bowmen fly out, as they float above the floor unnaturally. They fire arrows at the heroes as they enter. Abhlesh and Duke immediately become invisible, while Kiltro stays back near the entrance. Arngeir charges in and tries to keep Brango alive as he faces off against Skirkatla. The undead giantess brandishes a mighty flaming axe and hacks away at Brango with surprising skill and acumen.
The heroes concentrate on taking out the witches, managing to destroy them quickly as they try to burn Kiltro. They then take out one of the skeletons as they press their advantage. Duke blasts the skeletons with fire-hot geysers of water and then summons a defensive ring of magical books to protect his allies. The others gather around him as Brango and Arngeir concentrate on fighting Skirkatla. The battle rages on and the undead queen seem no closer to defeat…
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Session 92: Skirkatla’s Demise
[Apr 12th, 2022]
Brango and Arngeir surround Skirkatla, trying to hold back her might. She unleashes a blast of searing fire upon the heroes. The baykok skeleton’s continue to pelt Brango and Shrugga with arrows that send fear and despair into their minds. Agandar and Abhlesh tries to heal everyone and keep them alive. Kiltro continues to blast Skirkatla with bolts of magic.
Duke releases his protective barrier and dons the form of a dragon to fly out and strike at the baykoks. He breathes a blast of lightning upon them. Brango continues to hammer Skirkatla, but the deathless queen retaliates and cuts into the dwarf. She also cuts into Arngeir and break his shield with a mighty blow of her flaming axe. Arngeir is forced to pull away, but Brango doesn’t relinquish and gets a final devastating blow upon Skirkatla. Her body drops and burns away leaving only her chainmail armor and black boots.
The heroes quickly take out the rest of the baykoks and patch themselves up. Kiltro takes Skirkatla’s magical flame-resistance boots, but Abhlesh warns against touching the armour. He realizes that Skirkatla is a graveknight, an ancient oath-bound undead who will always rise again as long as their armour is intact. However, it can only be destroyed by throwing it into a burning volcano. They also realize that the chain-link they found matches her armor. They put both in their magical bag for the moment.
A witchfire then speaks before her final death, gleefully telling Agandar that Dimmvildr took Danarya north to exploit her gift of sight and indoctrinate her into a coven. Abhlesh retaliates by peering into the dying witch’s mind and learns the name of the Decapitant Lord. The heroes then free the Decapitant Lord by speaking his name, who thanks them before he departs.
The heroes then find Skirkatla’s grand treasure locked in a secret room of her mausoleum. The heroes take the many grand treasures and a few magical items of great power. They also find a map showing the exact location of a place called Ashfjell, a volcano in the north. Agandar and Duke recall seeing that as a possible site of power on the menhirs outside the Vault of Thorns. Agandar suspects that Ashfjell is the former sight of the traitorous flame druids. Next to the labelled volcano, is the Jotun words elite training academy and the names Tytarian and Quivixia.
The heroes then explore the northern chambers where they find a shrine dedicated to Urgathanatos. A cyclops and a tomb giant stand there, they greet the heroes and offer a deal. The heroes accept, exchanging the giants’ lives for a secret scroll of great magical power. The heroes find more treasures in the shrine.
With Skirkatla destroyed, the heroes head down the long path back to the camp with the other survivors. They spend a couple nights resting, and thinking about all that they have learned. They then, on the 28th of Harvest (692 GR), pack up all the food and supplies they can gather and begin to lead the many survivors back to Jarnby, through the Heropeak Mountains…
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