Scarlet Citadel Session 20 – Return of Cagoth-Ze

Here’s the write up for our 20th Scarlet Citadel session. Hopefully these write ups will prove useful to others running the adventure. 

You can read earlier posts here. This post contains spoilers for Scarlet Citadel.

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Last session, the group had returned to Redtower after killing Danaska Maksilov and stashing all the loot they’d gathered in her secret chamber. 

While Tunde is identifying potions and communing with Baba Yaga, Clairmont continues his restoration work on the temple of Khors. Maya visits Konrad and gets him to un-mildew the books about the Void they found in the dust goblins’ hidden chamber. Konrad warns her not to read them or and to keep them away from dangerous sorcerers. Farthrum carries out essential repairs on himself.

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The next morning the group heads back to the Scarlet Citadel with three mules (Fred, Bill & Sally) and Barrett whom they have hired to stand guard in the ruins while the others re-enter the dungeon.

The characters make their way down to Level 2, taking care to avoid the stair trap. When they enter the Ooze Incubators room, gelatinous cube/ochre jelly hybrids emerge from the vats with the tortured faces of Maksilov and the dust goblins embedded in their jelly. Tunde falls unconscious in the battle and Farthrum, who cannot be healed easily, is reduced to 5 hp, prompting him to run upstairs to safety.

Once the hideous oozes have deal with, the group wedge the pressure plates for the stair trap again, and head to the secret chamber where they start loading all the loot into crates. Unbeknownst to the PCs, they are being watched by an invisible imp summoned by Cagoth-Ze who flies off to alert the gnome.

As the characters empty the room, Cagoth-Ze and his fiendish sidekicks – an ink devil, two spined devils, and the imp – interrupt them. Cagoth-Ze casts time vortex but fails to trap any of the characters, then takes both Clairmont and Tunde down with lightning bolt. Maya finally slays the annoying gnome with guiding bolt.

The party head for Cagoth-Ze’s chamber and use his stickpin to open the door. They loot the room, finding some of the previous PCs’ magic items among his treasure. With Level 2 finally cleared out (for now!), the group loads up the mules and returns to Redtower. Although they haven’t sold the loot yet, they have safely got it back to town and so have earned enough XP for 5th level!

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