The Plot Thickens
So we’ve sort of finished the first arc. We were about three encounters short of the end of the first campaign, but unfortunately we didn’t finish the boss fight for the third chapter.
The last session ended with a cliffhanger: The PCs had gone to rescue Lord Sthavar, Lord Mayor of Suzail, from a group of deadlier-than-usual bandits who had taken him hostage in his own manor. A strange mix of Vhaeraunian drow, spawn of Tiamat, and rakshasa greated them.
Most of the battles were taxing. Azareth was brought very close to death several times, much to his dismay. Nothing would prepare them for the boss encounter, though .
A ballroom. Three hostages. A falling chandelier.
Darkness.
Two assassins: a tiefling swordsage and a Naztharune rakshasa.
Alioth and Kieran get hit by the falling chandelier, taking an immediate 6d6 damage. The two assassins go first (having a massive +9 to their initiative), catching everyone flat-footed. The swordsage attacks Azareth immediately, sinking 22 damage and stunning him for a round. The rakshasa sneaked Alioth for almost 3/4 of his HP, although she failed to hurt Lesa.
In a mad scramble to hurt the Swordsage, Alioth expends both his smites for the day. Only one hit, while the other missed. Azareth managed to eventually cast fly on himself, but flying away drew an Opportunity Attack from the swordsage, putting him at 0 HP. Only Acantha’s efforts saved him from being a floating paperweight. Unfortunately for Acantha, the swordsage opened up a massive can of whooping on her, literally and bodily throwing her forty feet across the room. That sank 37 damage into her, dropping her to -5 HP. The encounter ended there.
Will they manage it? I think they can. But what will this battle entail for them?
Al’Lashvahazred’s Plot
I wanted to introduce more draconic villains so that Al’Lashvahazred wouldn’t feel shoehorned into the end sequence just because the campaign needed a dragon. As such, his allies Gorge, Asphyxia and Bleedfire will be appearing within the next arc. I hope that the introduction of this extra depth will make the campaign a lot more interesting.
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