Episode 150 Gurthos 22nd 1032 C.E.
Grynn darted to the west then cast Spiritual Weapon right in front of Zlobniya, when her eyes turned to witness the manifestation, he used the distraction to pelt her with a Sacred Flame cantrip. The burns did not seem like much on the Hag’s huge frame; the Spiritual Weapon also connected when it swung. Zlobniya marched forward til she could see everyone. With mad glee she made her voice sound in everyone’s heads. “Home is where the Head is!” This presaged a sensation of being grabbed up by Leiya, Enkili, and Grynn. The Telekenetic grasp did not catch on the priestess or fighter, but poor Grynn was flung thirty foot into a shack near Leiya and the Invisible Blaylocke.
Jolrael had been prepared for such a situation, he cast the Feather Fall spell from his ring as the priest flew; however Grynn was being propelled by a spell and was not free falling, so the fast flung magic did not halt the flailing career. Slamming into the toolshed must have knocked Grynn out for half a second, because his Spiritual Weapon blinked out. The hag then turned on Enkili and cast a spell on the fighter that made the man sink to the ground and begin to snore, the Hag then moved north and a little west. Letting the concealment spell fall away, Blaylocke hit Zlobniya with Vicious Mockery. A Ray of Enfeeblement was flung almost faster than thought, but the bard ducked the retaliatory magic.
Jolly closed with the hag, charging in as if he were about to tackle the monster. Instead of grappling her about the knees, the sorcerer cast Thunder Step. While the sonic blast did not do as much harm as the party wished, Jolrael did appear right next to Enkili, but shaking the fighter did not rouse the man. Hobbling with the speed of a giant, Zlobniya closed within ten feet of both Leiya and Blaylocke; reaching distance for the overlarge Hag. Despite being within smelling distance of Zlobniya, Leiya hurled a Sacred Flame onto Enkili. Pain roused the fighter, who thanked the apologetic cleric.
Nails harder than horn lashed out at Leiya, Melwen’s vicar staggered with the blow and resulting pain. Using a gymnastic trick, Enkili vaulted to his feet and closed on the Hag. He swung and critical hit, hit, miss, then hit again, then he Action Surged, missed, missed and critical hit; each hit saw him attempt a Tripping Attack. Zlobniya was very strong and did not succumb to the fighters tricks even though he was Enlarged and Hasted, until the man actually caught her heel and upended her a part of his last attack. While the fighter was cutting the Hag to nigh ribbons, Grynn got up and stumbled into the fight. He grabbed at her shoulder and cast Dispel Evil/Good, trying to dismiss the vile creature.
His spell glimmered all over Zlobniya but she fought the magic successfully. Oh but the glare she had for Grynn after that. Still she had another target in mind for spiteful retaliation. The fluctuating lenses of time dilation formed around Enkili, but the fighter clung to the here and now with quiet desperation. Vexed that her spell failed, and that her foes were super tenacious, Zlobniya quickly cast another spell from her back and vanished in a cloud of sulfur and brimstone.
As the night before when Taga fled, Enkili spent the next several moments spinning about wondering if Zlobniya had used a short teleportation spell. Building up a charge for his Joltbolt (Firebolt variant), Jolrael also looked around. Breathing a sigh of relief, Blaylocke laid arrow to string and also waited for a target. Practical Leiya magically changed her eyes with a True Seeing spell, as that magic began to set on her she moved over to the set of doors of The Temple of the Gods. Her eyes instantly beheld the marks of Old Onostian writing over the people inside when she peaked in (later speculations made the party think this was the old bargain the Sosnovan’s had with the Hag).
Time ran out on Jolrael’s cantrip, but the sorcerer built up another as he hopped up on a wood bin to extend his vision. Enkili displaced and moved a bit west, holding the Sainted Sword ready in case Zlobniya would reappear. The Hag chose that moment to reappear in the same spot she had vanished from, startled, Blaylocke’s hasty shot flew wide. Again the Hag made a statement in Onostian, she looked healthier than when she had left. Blaylocke sang out again, casting Roalothim’s Psychic Lance at Zlobniya. That magic did not seem to be as effective as it had on past opponents, though it still stung the Hag.
Again Zlobniya’s creaky voice uttered statements in Onostian, she then created a green cloud the color of illness and corruption (Death Sphere). Blaylocke had a Coin of Fate vanish to protect himself, unfortunately Leiya was fully effective by the fell magic. Safely outside the grim colored cloud, Grynn once again grabbed Zlobniya from behind. His Dispel Evil/Good did not take effect on the giant witch again. He tried to create distance from Zlobniya, but he took a mighty swipe from the Hag’s claws as he moved away.
Ignoring the priest, Zlobniya scuttled over to Jolrael to threaten the spell caster. Leiya slammed the door closed then stumbled out of the Death Sphere. She cast Healing Word on Grynn, then hit Zlobniya with a Sacred Flame; this time it seemed the spell did full damage. As the Hag hissed in pain, Jolrael hit her with a Tidal Wave spell. He used Tempestuous Magic to carry himself off the wood bin and onto the roof of the house next to him. Though staggered a bit, Zlobniya was not swept off her feet.
Again the Hag tried to hurl Ekili, Leiya, and Jolrael with Telekinesis, but she wove too hurriedly and failed to grasp any of the three. Again she spoke in Onostian and her word were not translated, the translator was too busy trying to make Zlobniya feel persecuted. Grynn drew himself up and cast Banish on Zlobniya, but the Hag refused to vanish. The priest pulled out a Potion of Greater Healing and prepared to drink it. Blaylocke ran out of the Death Sphere and hurled another Roalothim’s Psychic Lance, again the spell did not meet expectations with it’s damage; Enkili’s theme song issued from the bard.
A Guiding Bolt from Leiya failed to take, so the priestess stepped back. Again Zlobniya seemed to mock them in Onostian, she hurled a Dispel Magic on Enkili. The fighter shrank to normal size and staggered, the lethargy of losing Haste leaving him weak and drained. The Hag then lifted into the air and flew a ways away. It took several seconds before Enkili felt his knees firm up and bear his weight. From her new eastern vantage, Zlobniya moved the Death Sphere a bit south, catching Blaylocke and Leiya in it’s tainted radius.
But the Hag was not done. Once again she tried to snare Enkili in temporal magic; the fighter growled and clung to his Now like a lion holding her kill against circling hyenas. Grynn manifested an upcast Spiritual Weapon near the Hag, but the spell missed hitting her. He moved east drinking his potion. Again Blaylocke’s stout legs brought him out of the Death Sphere, he up cast a Healing Word on Leiya. From on high, Jolrael cast Whirlwind on the Hag’s position, but as the winds began to swirl, Zlobniya Counterspelled the man. She taunted in Onostian as Jolrael dropped off the building’s west side.
Stumbling up the wood bin, then onto the same roof Jolrael had quit, Enkili brandished his sword at the still distant Hag. Zlobniya made sickening green energy pulse out of the Death Sphere to sting the Sorcerer. She then opened up a human skin bag and pulled out a blue glowing orb…. No, it was a face, a human face. The Hag swallowed the soul stuff of Oleg the witch hunter and healed herself; she then flew further east, too far for the fighter to catch her. Leiya jogged south to get out of the Death Sphere, she then tried to catch the Hag in a Force Wall sphere. Zlobniya also Counterspelled this magic.
The Hag then moved her Death Sphere so that Blaylocke, Leiya, Jolrael, and Grynn were inside. Moving west some more, Blaylocke exited the magic zone, then upcast another Raulothim’s Psychic Lance; again the Hag did not take as much damage as hoped for. The Hag then tried to hurl Grynn, Leiya, Jolrael, and Enkili with some form of Telekinetic force. Grynn was the only one the spell caught up; again the priest was slammed against a building thirty feet away. Enkili had to dash to get within melee distance of Zlobniya. As a reward, she clawed the fighter which ignited the Radiant Defense Leiya had put on Enkili; the man took more damage between the two.
Grynn tried to hit the Hag with his Spiritual Weapon, but she may well have been wearing plate mail. He then cast Mass Healing Word on Leiya, Enkili, and himself. Enkili ducked under another claw attack from Zlobniya, she was not expecting his Riposte. Her second swing did not miss; she even sent another pulse from her Death Sphere to do the fighter additional damage. Upcasting Healing Word on the fighter, Leiya moved south and east before also casting Sacred Flame on Zlobniya. Again the Hag proved too potent for that cantrip.
Cackling crazily, the Hag then flew away from Enkili and landed near the rest of the party. Jaw muscles clenching, Jolrael upcast Lightening Storm (Ice Storm variant). Zlobniya failed to Counterspell, but did make her saving throw. The sorcerer then moved south out of the Death Sphere. The Hag tried to punish Jolrael with some Will directed spell, but his natural twenty saved him from all harm….
*That was the last game of July. We will meet again on August 2nd sans Ramsay Cowlishaw. He has given us license to run Jolrael in his absence.
Episode 151 Gurthos 22nd - 23rd 1032 C.E.
In a hunched back spindly limb-ed parody of dance, Zlobniya capered over to Grynn and raked him with her bone like nails. She then swayed as if grace was what she truly mocked, and headed west to paw at Blaylocke; the bard did pay proper homage to grace in the way he avoided those finger spurs. The Hag kicked up her heels until she was back where she had started. Spite and glee writhed on Zlobniya’s features as she then wriggled her knobby knuckled finger at Enkili. The Fighter felt the world become capriciously non-firm, as his eyes saw a world beyond his normal reality. Willing his brain and body not to obey, he avoided some sort of banishing effect with the help of the Bardic Inspiration he had received.
Knowing that their foe was highly resistant to both fire and ice, Jolrael converted a Ray of Frost to a Ray of Lightening; despite Zlobniya’s great size, her deceptive quickness cause the beam to miss. For her part, the Hag moved her Sphere of Death so that it covered Grynn. Knowing the spell would drain his life if he stayed, Grynn first moved his Spiritual Weapon from the east, then he charged through her spell and tried to grab her. Though the priest got a grip, his upcast Dispel Evil/Good could not overcome Zlobniya’s magical nature.
Feeling desperation eroding his normal confidence, since his bag of tricks was nigh expired, Blaylocke resorted to hurling Eldritch Blasts at the Hag. His spirits lifted a bit as the first shot slammed into her throat (critical), his next shot hit, but the third missed. Some of her vile glee gone, Zlobniya took to the sky and made a short flight to the west, maintaining as much distance from herself and the mad fighter who was trying to end her. Thwarted yet again, Enkili did run through the top part of the Death Sphere hoping the Hag would make that one slip he craved. He pressed and rubbed some dirt into some of his wounds, pulling on inner strength to bolster his physicality (Second Wind)
Leiya cast Mass Healing Word on both Enkili and Grynn, that spell reaching clear across the field of battle. The priestess then charged west, clambering over the well used wood bin just so she could try to pelt Zlobniya with a Sacred Flame. The holy light flared then fizzled on the witch without actually touching her flesh. Still too far to close with Zlobniya, Enkili stood his ground, pulling his bow. The first two shots missed (one arrow a natural one), but the last arrow struck warty hide; the Hag barely noticed the shaft. Zlobniya used her Telekenetic ability to try and throw Blaylocke, Leiya, and Jolrael. Leiya and the sorcerer resisted being plucked from their feet, but poor Blaylocke was thrown north into the shack that was the Hag’s favorite target.
The Hag then scuttled closer by twenty five feet, she snared Enkili in a Hold Person spell. Blaylocke stood up and hurled three more Eldritch Blasts Zlobniya’s way; only the last bolt hit. As she glared at the bard, Grynn found an opening to throw an upcast Guiding Bolt. The spell splashed against the side of the Hags head (critical) and she was limned in holy light which made her temporarily easier to hit. He then moved his Spiritual Weapon west, slowly bringing it into the new theater of conflict.
Her mocking grin growing again, Zlobniya moved her Death Sphere over Grynn and Enkili; she threw a wink at the fighter who was frozen in place. That malicious twinkle in her eyes was short lived. Jolrael made a Lightening Storm (Ice Storm varient) open up directly over the Hag. The sorcerer tried to ride his Tempestuous Magic up and grab onto the shack’s roof. Though he scrabbled against the wall mightily, Jolly sank back to the ground failing to catch the roof’s ledge. Flying again, Zlobniya landed near Jolrael, Blaylocke, and Leiya who were all against the shack in the southern region of the fight.
Ignoring the Hag’s proximity, Leiya hit Enkili with a Healing Word, then turned another Sacred Flame on their foe, after that she placed herself between the bard and sorcerer. Zlobniya had to use a Legendary Save to prevent herself from taking damage from the priestess' cantrip. Grynn danced west to exit the Hag’s sphere, pulling his Spiritual Weapon after himself. Even though she was still an easy target from his last use of the spell, Grynn had to use his Coin of Birthright in order to hit Zlobniya with another Guiding Bolt; she remained lit up and easy to hit. A pinky finger twitched, then with a roar of effort, Enkili broke the grip of the Hold Person spell freezing him in the Death Sphere which was slowly draining his life force.
Zlobniya instantly hurled another spell onto the fighter. Enkili vanished from his friends sight; he found himself in a dim twilight world populated with dead figures who did not seem to see him. The Hag then turned on Grynn and hurled a Lightening Bolt on him, then followed that with a pulse from the Death Sphere. The cleric staggered barely attenuated with life. As further insult, Zlobniya then flew west. Suffering the same desperation her friends felt, Leiya ran west for about ten feet. She then cast Dawn over the Hag, holy light burning the giant witch. Leiya then stepped back five feet so she could cover her two friends. What had happened to Enkili?
Flying out of the light of the Dawn spell, Zlobniya landed near Grynn; her leering visaged bored in on the cleric with the promise of mayhem. Plucking a silver arrow from his quiver, Blaylocke fired it in a shallow arch then cast Conjure Volley. Still, the Hag was resistant to magic, and the shower of arrows was not as devastating as prior uses of the spell had been on other enemies. Yet the bard did receive a glare absent of the taunting glee the Hag usually gave. Was she tiring like the party was?
Dirty claws lashed out and Grynn staggered back, the priest refusing to fall from a blow that would have leveled stout Enkili (Relentless Endurance). Trying to fly to the roof again, Jolrael cast another Lightening Storm on the Hag. Zlobniya’s eyes no longer shone with manic glee, just the promise of death remained in those drab orbs. Again the sorcerer failed to catch the roof’s edge. Three bolts issued from Zlobniya’s hand as she cast Magic Missile. One bolt was for Grynn, who did fall this time, while the other two arrow-ed into Jolrael.
This time Zlobniya tried to catch Jolrael, Blaylocke, and Leiya with her innate Telekenisis. Only Jolly flew, flung into a nearby tool shed, or outhouse. Enkili returned, blinking in incomprehension at the sudden change. Struggling to his feet, the sorcerer found that his plans were almost awry, if not for his Tempestuous Magic he might not have been able to close with Zlobniya enough for the spell he chose. Running then flying close to the Hag, he unleashed an altered Aganazaar’s Scorcher (an Aganazaar’s Zapper). Though Grynn made his first Death Save, Zlobniya’s next despicable act put the cleric more firmly on Gurthen’s door. She clawed his body then studied him for a few seconds, like a burgeoning psychopath watching the bugs he had de-limbed.
Certain the priest was about to expire in pain, the hag then flew a few yards to the north. She then pulsed the Death Sphere and hurt Enkili. Though still too far to close with the Hag for melee, she was now close enough for the fighter to enact a plan he had been considering from before being shunted into a pocket dimension. He dropped his bow then sprinted out of the Death Sphere till he was standing over Grynn. A flask of Holy Water appeared within the mouth of his Bag of Holding. The vial flew true. Enkili used his only Coin of Birthrights to ensure the flask hit the Hag’s head, a critical hit.
Shrieking in utmost pain, Zlobniyas skin burned and peeled away, her eyes popped and oozed, then her form toppled to the ground and writhed until her voice grew too hoarse to make the screams carry. As she died the heroes all received a vision, even in death the Hag had one more wickedness to play. She showed them the original contract with the villagers of Slovnoska. They had bartered for eternal youth, not for protection. All around the weary heroes the houses and building aged, boards shed paint as they grayed and warped. Animals fell in their pens, withered, and turned to powder their bones bleached by centuries.
A glance into The Temple of the Gods revealed every Slovnoskan a mummified husk. Healing spells restored Grynn from the brink, then bolstered his health. As the bodies were gathered and moved to a central building, the party managed to acquire 3PP, 70GP, 5Ep, 130SP, and 180CP; as well as 3 Citrines, 2 Sardonyx, and 1 Moonstone. Leiya led the funerary rites over her fellow Onostians before the building was set alight, their pyre burning long into the night….
*One hell of a series of fights!!! All in all we were told to level up our characters, though the benefits of leveling up won’t take effect until we train. Our next game will be August 9th sans Ghosttusk. We were forewarned that Long John will be absent August 23rd. My fellow adventurers, please remember to level up your characters this week to minimize the Papers and Paychecks aspect of the game. See everyone next week!
**Addendum. Ramsay Cowlishaw has just contacted us about a show he and his band have on the 9th. Alas, we will be down 2