Three players were present:
- Henrick, Male Human Warlock
- Lobis Thunderfoot, Male Gnome ????
- Lupin Damakos, Female Tiefling Rogue + Willow, Cat Animal Companion
Nearing the ship, The Heroes make out three Gargoyles perched on the containers of water suspended from the blimp. On top of the blimp, a Cambion, an Elven Ghost, and winged Dragonborn immerge from the interior. The Female Demon orders the captain below to secure the hatch and maintain their course.
Lobis flies overhead and behind the Frightful Foursome. Lupin charges into the Harpy in a head-on attack but is flanked by the second Chimera. A brave Henrick faces off against the Manticore by himself. With their double attacks and charging bonuses, the Griffons prove themselves surprisingly effective allies to The Heroes.
The Disturbed Damsel Damon screeches to her allies to use their area effects to destroy The Heroes mounts. The first Chimera unleashes its icy breath on Henrick and his mount, the second spews a venomous blast on Lupin and her Griffon. The Manticore arcs away and unleashes a volley of spikes from its tail against The Heroes and their mounts. Talons against teeth, muscle against magic, swords against sorcery; the bloody battle continues for hours. Hendrick nearly takes a massive amount of damage from the shooting spikes twice in a row, but Lobis counters both attacks with his spells, sparing the Wily Warlock from harm. Henrick blasts the first Chimera fifteen squares away, then proceeds to put the Manticore in a pinchers movement with Lobis. The dynamic duo fatally finish the Flying Feline forever.
Having fought enough of the minions, Lobis decides to take the fight to the commander. With a burst of speed, the Tiny Terror urges his Griffon (named Peter) to the deck of the ship. Leaping off, he confronts the She-Demon and Elven Ghost.
If the Waters of Restoration are so anathematic to the undead, Lobis wants to know why they are taking it to the Crimson Empire instead of simply disposing of it. The Devil Diva and Scary Spector turn and look at each other with a stupefied expression. A frustrated Lupin tells him not to give them ideas.
Pursued by Gargoyles, Henrick reaches the rear of the ship in time to see Lupin fall. Lobis rushes to the rear and begins to battle the Sinister Spirit, but the Dynamic Devil gives chase and attacks with a fiery blast. The other Gargoyles slash at Lobis’ Griffon, forcing it to flee to the rear.
Henrick provides a potent propelling spell, hurling a Gargoyle into the ship’s powerful propeller. The Mighty Mage then lands his Griffon on the deck. Lupin manages to teleport onto the deck of the ship as well. The Ghastly Ghost merges into Lupin’s body and possesses her.
The Spooky Spirit takes delight in discovering that she is Christopher Frost’s daughter and introduces himself as Zygote. Forcing her to attack Lobis, the battle comes to an end when the Noble Gnome manages to use a spell to literally bitch slap the ghost out of Lupin’s body without harming her. Meanwhile, the Chimera and Gargoyles surround and kill Lupin’s Griffon.
Zygote returns and possesses Henrick. An internal struggle for Henrick’s body takes place when the demon Zööl (see Past Tense) tries to resist, but fails. Zygote tries to release Zööl’s physical form, but Henrick manages to exorcises him with the sheer force of his will.
Lobis’ Griffon flies up to help him battle the Dragonborn. However, the Repugnant Reptile releases a burst of flame, incinerating Peter Griffon. The Gargoyle slays Henrick’s Griffon as well. Using another powerful spell, Henrick sends the Lethal Lizard and Stoney Statue soaring.
The Chimera and Gargoyles regroup with Zygote at the rear and advance toward the Heroes. The Dragonborn attacks from the front, but Lupin quickly slays the Rampaging Reptilian. Zygote tries to possess Henrick again, but this time Zööl is prepared and unceremoniously hurls him out of his body. The second Gargoyle returns and attacks Henrick.
Examining the hatch to the ship, The heroes discover that in order to unlock it, they must solve a series of puns.
HORRIBLE PATRIOTIC PUNS
(Answers are all things Americana.)
Food
1: Sexy Canine.*
2: Granny Smith 3.14.**
Events
3: Circling Conflict.***
4: Polite Conflict.****
5: New England Afternoon Repast.*****
Things
6: Alopecia Avian.******
7: Generals and Sergeants.*******
8: Invoice of Privileges.********
A perturbed Lobis doesn’t approve. He claims they don’t need him. Lupin and Ahab remind him that they need him to fly the ship. The Sagacious Sailor enquires if the Wee Warrior knows how to navigate the air-ship. Lobis reluctantly agrees that they need him, then asks if he can show them around the blimp. Ahab laughs aloud and gives him a hardy slap on the back and proclaims that they are now all friends. As the tour of the dirigible begins, so too does the long journey home to the United Center.
To be continued? ? ?
Thoughts on this Session: One. Long. Fight. The recap doesn’t convey how long it took for this session to unfold. One continuous battle that spanned five hours. Much of the problem was on my end. Originally intended for six players, I included all of the opponents even when three players dropped out. Most of the monsters were lower levels with lower ACs than The Heroes. The problem was not with the ACs, it was with the amount of HPs each one had. I actually began to fudge the numbers toward the end. Another problem was with The Heroes’ tactics. All too often, they engage with foes one-on-one, rather than seeing the battle as a whole. Initially, they employed strong tactics by marking, casting spells, and flanking for each other. Then they suddenly split up and went in different directions. Even worst, they left existing foes behind who soon joined in with the fresh opponents. Always remember to never split the party and always finish what you started. Good lessons in gaming and in life. And don’t get me wrong, it was indeed an exciting, fun, action-packed session.
Lupin proved to be quite the swashbuckler, as she leaped upon the unsuspecting Chimera. Her bantering with Zygote and dealing with Ahab were quite amusing. Lobis also showed daring by leaping on the Chimera to assist Lupin. He also showed guts when he flew to the deck to confront Demonica and Zygote by himself. (Although he may have said a bit too much when he questioned why they don’t just dispose of the water. Something that never occurred to me until then.) Henrick also showed some moxie. The Wizened Warlock usually fights from afar and tries to avoid being seen. This time he charged in to physically engage his foes; even plopping smack down in the center of a deck full of enemies. Using Zööl to help exorcist Zygote was quite brilliant. Could this be the beginning of a “Smart-Hulk” type of merging? Bravo to all!!!
Who is Zygote? Zygote is the ghost of the Dreadful Drow Elf that appeared in Tales of the Crimson Empire--All That Glitters. The self-proclaimed Greatest Swordsman in the Underdark, he served as a bodyguard to Midas Montague. That is until Epiphany enacted her vengeance for the murder of her sister upon the overconfident antagonist.
* Sexy Canine: Sexy=hot; canine=dog—Hot Dog.
** Granny Smith 3.14: Granny Smith=apple; 3.14=Pi—Apple Pie.
*** Circling Conflict: Circling=revolution; conflict=war—Revolutionary War.
**** Polite Conflict: Polite=civil; conflict=war—Civil War.
***** New England Afternoon Repast: New England=Boston; afternoon repast=tea party—Boston Tea Party.
****** Alopecia Avian: – Alopecia=bald; avian=eagle—Bald Eagle.
******* Generals and Sergeants: Generals=stars; sergeants=stripes—Stars and Stripes.
******** Invoice of Privileges: Invoice=bill; privileges=rights—Bill of Rights.
Next: Chapter 44 - Deadly Persuasion
Previous: Chapter 42 - Fight or Flight