Tag Archives: horror

Fourth Session (13 page pdf) – We go to the butthole of Ustalav and farm us some werewolves, plus any local necromancer that gets lippy.

After an unfortunate encounter with a hangman tree (made more dangerous by the fact that three PCs weren’t there/didn’t show up on time, and only bested by one of them showing up mid-fight) we go to the Furrows, also known as the worst place in a bad country.

We dodged a remarkably large local necromancer patrol and rooted around in a ruined building where we found our missing werewolf hunter, Duristan.  “Oh, I’m not werewolfed, and I somehow got a band of mercenaries here!  We’re hunting some other werewolves!” “Yeah, that sounds grrrreat… Take us to your mercenaries.” We hoped we’d convince them we’d “help attack” the Prince’s Wolves and then we could betray them mid-fight.  Duristan, however, showed his usual lack of forethought by just yelling out as soon as we went into where the Jhazeldans were.

And here’s where seventh level pays off!  I crowd-controlled the shit out of that building.  Black Tentacles BAM!  Web BAM!  We knew that was just a delaying tactic and we needed help, so everyone else fought while I flew over to get the Princes’ Wolves to help; they were remarkably whiny about it for having been dispatched here for this express purpose.  I convinced them (In D&D you always have to convince NPCs to do anything, including what they were going to do anyway) and then it took them like three rounds of running in their heavy armor to get there and when they did they were like crappy CR2 werewolves only suitable for mob control. Sigh.  But the rest of the party had staged a calm fighting withdrawal to outside the building and was keeping the werewolves bottled up, so I figured I’d liven up their day with a Stinking Cloud.  You would think werewolves would have OK Fort saves but they were all puking up squirrels. By the time they broke loose and got out of the building the Princes’ Wolves arrived; I hit the BBEG with a 4-level Enervation and everyone else chopped him to bitty-bits. I slumber hexed Duristan so hopefully we can cure him of his lycanthropy.

Then we’re talking with the Princes’ Wolves inside the building when some necromancer goon with two big undead thingys busts in and is all like “Now I’ve got you!” I Lightning Bolted his dumb ass and everyone chopped through the undead.  I blinded him and he ran off crying to momma; a slumber hex later and I dragged him into the building with us.  Send more necromancers!

It wasn’t all me or anything, everyone was on top of their game.  Icobus got a great beheading shot in among others. Nigel started using his whammies on undead, being a dirge bard. Oswald shot a lot of things. We were worried when two players didn’t show but even just three of us could hold the fort for a good number of rounds! Yay, level 7.  (Though, it does explain why it’s the breakpoint for E6; it’s definitely the level you leave normal life behind for the life of a superhero.)

Third Session (12 page pdf) – We fight werewolves, werewolf ghosts, beefcake werewolves, and a paunchy librarian. Werewolves are stupid, though wealthy; perhaps we should take up werewolf farming.

The werewolf ghost (vilkacis) fight is bracing; it tries to possess several party members but a Protection from Evil from Xurak and then Misfortune hex from me keeps it from being successful.

Then we catch up with the librarian (Estovian the keeper of the Lodge) and beat the bejeezus out of him. I get to use my new lipstitch spell to sew his lips together, which was disturbing both for him and for the rest of the party. Lucky for him he charms Oswald who prevents his prone form from being Rodney Kinged into the great unknown; lucky for us Oswald is super gullible so we manage the situation anyway (“No really, he’ll be safer chained up down here with all his gear in our gunny sack…”).

We did OK in the big werewolf boss fight.  I got a little pissed that I kept putting bad guys to sleep with my slumber hex and no one would freaking coup de grace them, and then someone would wake them up and they’d be back in the game – and my hex can only affect someone once a day. I’m like “do you like fighting these guys?  How’s that lycanthropy making your tongue taste?” Anyway, finally I blind the werewolf chick and we bring an end to the combat.  We’d neatly bypassed all the rest of the werewolf guards so we just sent her packing. (Get it? Packing? I crack myself up. Actually, I decided that Sredni Vashtar’s Girl likes making bad puns in Common, which entertained Tim because there’s an Indian girl at his work that does the exact same thing.  I’ve known one too, it’s an oddly common little quirk. I like it when I can bring some authentic Indian girl to my character!)

Then we get to commune with Desna! Besides getting healed of all our ills and getting some plot points, this is cool for Girl – she’s still NG and starting to consider being more assertive against her NE god-familiar.

After that it’s just a wrap-up fight with two werewolves.  I like using my Slumber hex like the guys from Dark City – “Sleeeep! <waves hand across their face>.” We even let Estovian go with some threats to watch his step in the future. It’s Ustalav; if you kill every violent dumbass you meet the whole place would be empty.

Second Session (10 page pdf) –  The Lodge becomes a killing ground as various things go wrong, and our heroes are generally a step behind everyone else.

Talking to various decadent Ustalavic nobles is about as useful as you’d think. But Girl meets another girl from her orphanage back in Jalmeray, who’s working in an adjoining brothel. Also, Nigel trades his carnal favors to the madam for info on our quest.

Then we get attacked by a truly giant spider. And then someone werewolf-curses out and kills another patron. We get sick of screwing around and break into the local Lodge keeper/librarian’s office to beat the truth out of him but he dimension-door skedaddles. With remaining intel we decide to cut to the chase and go out to the Stairs of the Moon and harvest us some werewolves.

First Session (14 page pdf) – It’s out to the Lodge of Werewolves where we’re sure they hunt the “Most Dangerous Game.” On the way, we have slug problems.

First it’s back from Castle Caromarc to Lepidstadt, where we decide to follow Professor Lorrimor’s killer Orrin Vrood out into the werewolf-haunted forest of the Shudderwood. We load up on silver weapons and werewolf lore.

On the way, we have quite a fight with a big slug-grub-woman-thing. Then we get to Ascanor Lodge, where we fiddle around with decadent nobles and hunt werewolves with them till a bunch of werewolves yell plot points at us.  Then it’s back to the lodge for hot chocolate in front of a fire.