Lupin Damakos, Female Tiefling Rogue + Willow, Cat Animal Companion
Torek, Male Dwarf Cleric
Enuffdain, Male Elf Paladin
Still in their diminutive forms (see Chapter 17), The Heroes and the avuncular ranger, Conrad Frost, collective jaws drop at the appearance of the ginormous Master Spider behind them. The trio of Heroes rush up (surprisingly, led by Enuff, of all people!!!) and form a line, while Conrad releases a volley of arrows from afar. The battered Carrion Crawler continues its fight with the last of the large Spiders, while Willow faces off against a swarm of Baby Spiders.
During their rest, they find an ancient scroll engraved with many puns about Winter and the Cold:
HORRIBLE WINTER/COLD PUN NUMBER 1: Kill Southern Women.*
HORRIBLE WINTER/COLD PUN NUMBER 2: Small Frozen Kiss.**
HORRIBLE WINTER/COLD PUN NUMBER 3: Surveyor in a Tornado.***
HORRIBLE WINTER/COLD PUN NUMBER 4: Frosty’s Testicles.****
HORRIBLE WINTER/COLD PUN NUMBER 5: Teepee made of frost.*****
HORRIBLE WINTER/COLD PUN NUMBER 6: More than 31 Diplomas.******
Torek unwittingly releases a Disembodied Hand from a container. The awful appendage grabs the dwarven cleric in an unholy embrace and tries to squeeze the life out of him. Praying to his Patron God, Avandra, Torek finds the fortitude to pry the humongous hand open. The sheer brute force of the endeavor bumps the Fist off the shelf, sending the decomposing claw to splatter against the stone floor! Enuff and Torek finish off the grotesque Golem and head toward Lupin. With the fire spreading, Lupin opens one of the last containers. A swarm of writhing larva coalesces into the form of a man! The Larva Mage proclaims his freedom and vows vengeance against the one who imprisoned him so many years ago: EGNARTS!!! The squirming Sorcerer demands to know if The Heroes have any knowledge of Egnarts. In a close bluff check, Lupin manages to convince the Maggot Mage that they do not. The Larva Lord then offers them the opportunity to become his minions. When they enquire why would they want to, the Mage replies that he will restore them to their normal size and allow them to help kill Egnarts. With only one beaker and one container left to search and the flames rapidly approaching, The Heroes feign agreement. Although, the thought of slaying Egnarts does bring a smile to Lupin's face. (PSA- Never bet against the house: The Heroes had 23 chances to roll an 11 on a d20 to retrieve the enlarging potion. They searched 21 beakers/containers on the table and shelf with no success! With only one beaker and one container left, they were probably wise to accept the Mage’s deal.) |
Torek moves behind the Beholder to give The Heroes a much needed combat advantage against their undead adversary. Finally avoiding the ghostly sentries, the Lich King charges Lupin. The Larva Mage works his way around the field of the anti-magic eye and attacks the Lich King from behind. Forced to fight or flee, Lupin chooses to confront her worst fears and charges the Lich King! Trapped between his foes, The Undead Monarch unleashes his full fury upon Lupin. Though mortally wounded, Lupin trades blow for blow with the Undead Emperor! With the Mage’s blast of fire and ice assaulting him, Lupin strikes a decisive blow, slaying the Lich King!
To be continued? ? ?
Side Note: This was an exciting session where The Heroes, twice, came closer to death than ever before. Designed with an additional two mages and a ranger in mind (all canceled at the last minute), The Heroes faced nigh unbeatable odds and survived!!! Nice work all around with Enuff proving himself to be the heroic powerhouse of the group. Lupin faced and overcame her greatest fear; administered the coup de grâce to two deadly nemeses (Yes, that is the plural of nemesis. I had to look that up!); PLUS used her wits to not only avoided a battle with the Larva Mage, but to make him their ally! And finally, anyone who disparages the Cleric class should have witnessed the amazing feats that Torek managed to pull off! From controlling the battle field; healing; offensive and defensive prayers; pure brute strength; Torek played both a support, controller, and striker role. Hats off to all three players!!!
* Kill Southern Women: Kill = slay; southern women = belles – Sleigh Bells.
** Small Frozen Kiss: Frozen = ice; small kiss = peck – Ice Pick.
*** Surveyor in a Tornado: Surveyor = poller; tornado = vortex – Polar Vortex.
**** Frosty’s Testicles: Frosty = snow; testicles = balls – Snow Balls.
***** Teepee made of frost: Teepee = cone; frost = snow – Snow Cones.
****** More than 31 Diplomas: More than 31 = 32; diplomas = degrees – 32 Degrees.
Each Player received a random Drama Card for solving a pun.
Next: Chapter 19 - Volcanic Rock & Roll
Previous: Chapter 17 - Honey, We Shrunk The Heroes!