In our 15th session, the characters recovered the Holy Robes of Sister Adelind from Castle Orzelbirg and Zygmunt got his revenge on General Frazko Grimslade, the Ghost Knight who killed his beloved. Here’s the write up which contains spoilers for the campaign.
30th Redleaf, 92 FY (contd.)
The characters go upstairs to the 3rd floor of Castle Orzelbirg’s round tower and search General Grimslade’s quarters and the almost empty library. Penumbra finds plans to the castle in the one remaining book, and Bubbles successfully picks the lock on the general’s chest after the tiefling disarms the magical trap. As well as treasure, the chest contains a Grant of Title document for the castle.
Bubbles goes up to the roof and casts silence to muffle the noise as the party takes out the gargoyle. They prop up its body so it still looks like it is on duty from the ground. Heading down to the ground floor, they slay the two giant undead dogs in the inner bailey, and enter the keep through the kitchen. Inside, the angry darakhul cook Crackbone, takes a bite out of Sister Olga but Zygmunt lays on hands to cure the disease.
Entering the Great Hall, the group encounter a pair of frightened human servants and eventually calm them down enough to learn that General Grimslade and other important individuals are in the Blood Chapel. The Gears listens at the doors and can hear chanting.
After casting protection from evil and bless spells, the characters open the doors. Inside, a dark ritual is already underway, and the party are too late to stop a Red Sister from plunging her spear into the heart of the Spear Maiden tied to the altar. Bubbles casts silence again, and General Grimslade advances to attack.
Zygmunt confronts his nemesis, striking with his glaive and using Divine Smite to seriously weaken the Ghost Knight. Sister Dorotka and Sister Olga charge past to attack the Red Sister who has killed their comrade, and are attacked by Scratchpox the castellan. The Gears casts guiding bolt, then Penumbra strikes Grimslade with her eldritch blast, killing him.
Seeing things are not going well, the hooded ghoul throws dust of disappearance into the air and vanishes through a secret door. Then, the dead Spear Maiden, Sister Ylva, rises from the altar as a ghoul and attacks her fellow knights who are forced to take her down with help from Louthin. She is wearing a golden locket around her neck – the Holy Robes of Sister Adelind! Sister Dorotka retrieves the relic and gives it to Penumbra for safekeeping.
With the battle over, Zygmunt delivers a lengthy victory speech over Grimslade’s corpse; he’s inside the area of the silence spell so his words are unrecorded. Louthin claims the general’s half plate armor.
Heading down into the basement, Bubbles and Penumbra are both sickened by the stench coming from the human corpses hanging there like slabs of meat. The characters kill Stitchface the jailer and rescue the four captured sisters from the cells. Sisters Janina, Ewa, Hilde and Miya are feverish and exhausted, but the party are able to help them with lesser restoration spells and by laying on hands. The Gears uses a prayer bead from his necklace to cast greater restoration on Sister Hilde.
With the Spear Maidens saved and the Holy Robes of Sister Adelind recovered, the heroes head back upstairs, cross the inner bailey, and leave the castle via the secret tunnel before they can be discovered.
Later, Louthin translates the coded letter they found in the round tower. Written to Radomir Marrowblight by Vukas Shroudson, it is report on General Grimslade’s attempts to transform the Spear Maidens into Ghost Knights, and refers to the party as “irksome meddlers” for their role in stopping Avgost’s abduction. Vukas expresses confidence the archduke will be successfully apprehended.
Richard Green | Game Designer 