Recap: The Crusader army from Kenabres had set out for the demon-controlled city of Drezen in an effort to recover the banner known as the Sword of Valor at the behest of Queen Galfrey of Mendev. On route they rescued a group of Crusader survivors and overcome a morale problem caused by a veteran who had lost his faith. After battling through various demonic enemies, they suffered a late-night infiltration by an incubus who caused many of the paladins to desert their posts and seriously wounded Asami.
Player-Characters (character level 6th, mythic tier - 1st):
Aegronius - male half-elf slayer
Asami - female elf wizard from Tian-Xia
- Kirara - Asami's familiar, a white cat
Jiro - male human shaman from Tian-Xia
- Bohgong/Uncle - Jiro's spirit animal, a white monkey inhabited by the spirit of Jiro's ancestor
Runa - female half-orc warpriest of Iomedae
Zosta - female human barbarian brawler
Major NPCs:
Anevia Tirabade - female human archer, spouse of Irabeth
Irabeth Tirabade - female half-orc paladin of Iomedae, spouse of Anevia
Aravashnial - male elf wizard Runewarden
Aron Kir - male human human low templar
Sosiel Vaenic - male human cleric of Shelyn
Horgus Gwerm - male human noble from Kenabres
Nurah Dendiwhar - female halfling bard
Following the nighttime attack on the Crusaders' encampment, several members of the leadership group noticed Nurah shooting daggers with her eyes at Runa. The presence of small size footprints outside the camp had led Runa to initially assume that Nurah had somehow betrayed her companions, and Nurah was clearly unhappy about the accusation Runa had made against her.
To prevent their enemies from attacking again, Irabeth tripled the number of men on sentry duty. A group of paladins used their divine healing ability to heal the injuries suffered by their leaders, especially Asami, who had been most sorely wounded. Afterward those men were not placed on duty in order to allow them to replenish their magic with rest and prayer. The rest of the group decided it would be wisest to rest as much as they could and restore their own magic rather than leaving after dawn to continue their journey toward Drezen.
Sosiel had told them that it was possible the ruined chapel at the top of the cliff might have a hidden store of goods they could use, and once everyone was rested and replenished they decided that it would be worthwhile to visit the chapel. Irabeth and Sosiel planned not only to search for the stash Sosiel mentioned but to clear and try to re-consecrate the chapel. Aron explained that in the aftermath of the First Crusade the area around Drezen had been dotted with chapels and shrines to various gods, all of them now fallen into disrepair and demonic infestation.
The atmosphere surrounding the party when they set off in the early afternoon was still unpleasant as they made their way to the staircase carved into the cliff face. The sky overhead was dark and tinted red. Asami and Jiro both found it particularly oppressive due to their affinity for the natural world. Kirara had not even peeked her head out of Asami's pack since being returned to the camp after her unwilling nighttime excursion. The rest of the army would not accompany the group to the chapel, instead going ahead to wait for them. Only Aron, Sosiel, Irabeth, and Nurah would accompany the five companions up to the chapel. Aron led the way to the stairs, which like the chapel had fallen into disrepair due to disuse. These narrow stairs ascended 90 feet up the cliff. Before the group started to climb, Asami surrounded herself with magical armor and Jiro cast a spell that would allow him to heal some of any injury to his companions. The steps proved challenging for some of the companions, especially to Asami, who slipped once and had to be hauled up on a rope by Zosta and then carried the rest of the way up by Runa. Even having Jiro grant her the counsel of his ancestors didn't help to make the climb less arduous for her.
At the top of the cliff they found the chapel surrounded by a courtyard full of rubble from broken statues, though surprisingly the stained glass windows were still intact. A stable stood off to their left, which Runa suggested they investigate first in case any demonic creatures had taken up residence in it. Bohgong picked up a piece of bone from the ground that appeared to be of non-humanoid origin. Jiro examined it and determined that it had been gnawed by some creature within the past few days, confirming Runa's worry that something still lived in or near the chapel. Jiro readied his morningstar. As he scanned the statues that lined the eaves of the chapel, he noticed something peculiar about some of them. Five or six of them didn't appear to belong there, their iconography incorrect for the deities they portrayed. When he pointed this out to his comrades, Runa loaded her heavy crossbow and fired at one statue that Jiro pointed out as wrong. The bolt bounced off the statue, but Runa observed that the 'statue' next to it flinched.
Zosta took a few steps back, preparing to make a running leap at the chapel roof, just as three of the statues transformed into gargoyles and swooped down from the rooftop, diving toward Jiro, Runa, and Asami. The gargoyle that aimed at Asami pounced on her with its muzzle and claws, biting and slashing. Zosta redirected her leap to land on the gargoyle, grappling it with her arms and legs and bashing it with her bladed gauntlets. Asami stepped away from the gargoyle and hurled her wooden spear at it but the spear went wide. She felt Jiro's energy heal some of the wounds the gargoyle had dealt her. Irabeth stepped up to attack the gargoyle nearest to Runa, while Runa cast a strengthening spell on herself and exchanged her crossbow for her sword. Nurah began to sing an encouraging song to bolster her companions. Aron and Sosiel joined Zosta in focusing on the gargoyle that had attacked Asami. Seeing that all three of them were fighting that gargoyle, Asami turned and threw her spear at the gargoyle that threatened Jiro, though once again it couldn't penetrate the gargoyle's stony hide. Jiro re-positioned himself so that he, Irabeth, and Runa could flank the creature.
At that moment another creature flew into the area and approached Jiro. This creature was nothing like the gargoyles. Instead it presented itself as a severed head, trailing entrails behind it as it floated along. These dangling organs wrapped themselves around Jiro's neck and began attempting to force their way into his mouth! Runa immediately tried to strike this monstrosity with her sword, but it was difficult to see and when she slashed at where she thought the head was her blade met only air. While Jiro struggled with the strangling entrails, the gargoyle also attacked him. Asami drew out a wand and fired three tiny missiles of force at the head, but to her shock the monster's tongue reached out and lapped them up like tasty morsels.
The combined might of Aron, Sosiel, and Zosta had eliminated the gargoyle they fought, and they now all moved to attack the other two gargoyles. Zosta told the two men to help Asami and ran to pummel the gargoyle behind Runa. Asami directed her missiles at one of the gargoyles, while the foul monster continued forcing its disgusting appendages down Jiro's throat. He had by this time realized that this creature was not native to Mendev or the Worldwound - it was a monster more likely to be found near his homeland in Tian-Xia, a creature called a penanggalen that would attempt to take control of his body if it could. But with its entrails in his mouth he was unable to communicate any of this to his friends.
Aron and Sosiel pounded the gargoyle beside Runa into a heap of stony dust. Irabeth attempted to smite the penanngalan with divine power, but its blurred appearance prevented her blade from connecting with it. At the same time, the monster appeared to become more robust, as if it had absorbed her divine magic to strengthen itself. Nurah tried to help Jiro free himself by casting a spell on him to cause his body to become covered in grease. Asami shouted to Aron that he should keep the remaining gargoyle away so she could help Jiro. She then ran toward him. Irabeth swung her blade at the penanggalen again and this time struck its flesh, but those closest to her saw it again absorb her magic and grow stronger. Jiro's face had grown pale at the same time, his eyes rolling back and his flesh appearing emaciated. Nurah moved closer to him, casting a spell that removed some of the harm the thing had done him. Asami attempted to dispel the effect that made the monster so difficult to hit, but failed. Bohgong began pulling on the penanggalen's entrails, trying to remove them from Jiro. Irabeth struck it again and it grew stronger. Runa moved closer and cast a spell on Jiro to give him greater endurance so he could better resist it. Then Jiro used the end of his lamp pole, which he still held, to write in the dirt beside him that the creature was susceptible to cold. He wrote in the characters used in Tian-Xia, so only Asami could read it, but she quickly shared the information with her companions. She had only one spell prepared that could do cold damage, so she sent a ray of frost-coated leaves at the thing, but its magical protection caused her spell to fail to find a target. Then Jiro mimed at her and wrote in the dirt that someone should use a spell to cause his body to transform into a gas. Asami had no such spell prepared nor written in her spellbook, though she knew of it. Only by calling on the divine inspiration of Iomedae was she able to recall the spell and cast it on Jiro. But to her horror, both Jiro and the penanggalen became gaseous!
The penanggalen began to float away. Jiro, now free of its grasp, thanked Asami. The rest of the group all began to attack the monster before it could escape. Asami dismissed her spell, causing Jiro and the creature to assume their solid forms, and Jiro summoned a tetsubo of energy. As it attacked, the penanggalen tried to grab at Jiro with her tongue but missed him while his weapon struck her. The monster then released the three missiles she had been holding in her mouth at Asami, all of them striking her unerringly. Then the monster floated away, ascending too high for any of the group to hit her and disappearing from sight before Runa could reload her crossbow.
When the creature had gone, Jiro was able to recall more about it. He realized that this was not a typical penanggalen, but one of a special variety, a penanggalen matriarch that was not an undead creature and was also capable of creating more of its kind. When he explained this to his companions they all shuddered in revulsion at the thought of such a hideous creature on the loose. They could only hope that it would not return to trouble them again.
Next: Part 23, Chapel of Kabriri
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