Difference between revisions of "Mattsters of the Mattiverse Session 20"

Revision as of 02:23, 8 January 2017

...last episode

• The party tries an alternate route, deciding on the sewers, scooching past rats, catching diseases and having a grand old time

In Media Res

• The last visible otyugh put down, the party prepares for what is sure to be another part of the onslaught
• Some buffs, some readied actions
• Russ, in his gargoyle'd form, flies into the center platform and peers around.
  • Another, by now familiar, shape hides in the water to the West
  • He throws a bomb at it, and it shows itself--another plaguebearer otyugh. It is staggered by the blast, and the two bruisers start going to town on it
  • Edi joins them on the central platform to be ready with a heal
  • More otyughs (corpsefeasters) join the fray, including a massive specimen, almost twice the size of the next largest. It is an oytugh queen!

• Apt rushes into the middle to blow the horn. Gokar and Russ beat down the plaguebearer, but also try to position themselves to protect the casters
• Edi tosses up a clutch wall of fire. It deters the otyugh queen, and the other two corpsefeasters, caught in it, power through to engage the party. She retreats to find a way around.
• Apt finds himself being grabbed and then released repeatedly as tentacles sweep him up, and then the bearers of said tentacles are killed; this happens two, maybe three times
• Just as the last corpsefeaster is being dispatched, the queen shows herself again. Apt gambles his personal safety for the party, but ends up beaten and busted on the river draw:
  • He rushes in to blow the Silver Horn
  • The queen retaliates with a massive (critical hit) blow.
  • The party moves to engage. Rather than running, Apt steps in to unleash the full fury of his bow. This proves to be his downfall as...
  • The queen lands a SECOND critical blow! It smashes into Apt and blows him well past his negative hit point threshold (CON 10 and all), and the party's leader falls lifeless

• • The queen is killed the next round in a flurry of successful attacks. And then beaten further. And then ripped to shreds. And then ripped a bit more [ed: ends up with about 180/125 damage officially, but some continued damage was done without enunciation afterward]
  • Edi processes his grief a different way, attempting (uselessly) to heal the corpse while sobbing a heartfelt lament
• The party composes itself and secures the perimeter. They half-heartedly search for treasure, but aren't really committed to it. None is found.
• Impending diseases are treated (filth fever and sewer madness). Alchemical and clerical aid prevent them from becoming symptomatic.

Mourning, and Meeting Someone New

• As soon as they are rested, they begin taking the body back to the Wydmoor Swamp Temple to regroup. A day in, they run into the Azure Geese's chief scout: the halfling Sena, who is able to lead them on a swifter route.
• Astlen is informed immediately. She expresses her condolences, and they discuss how to proceed. The Geese prove to be a mix of respectful and utilitarian; much of Apt's gear is stripped for later use.
• Edi, naturally, wishes to perform a funeral service, and all of the appropriate rites (including the Feast of Bodin the Fisherman‎, given the nature of the death). A not-insignificant sum is "donated to Alexandria"; how that comes to pass in a temple so far removed from the Church's authority is an exercise for the reader
• Astlen promises to find a replacement while that is done. Gokar and Russ busy themselves with alchemical work, and some supplies are procured while they are in town
• After the funeral, the party is once again brought into audience. There, they meet a new friend... and her friend(s)

• • She is Yoa. She is a summoner, and a formal member of the Azure Geese (and not just a contractor)
  • Her eidolon companion is named Try. He is an avian outsider, and is expectedly otherwordly and unique. He and Yoa speak interchangeably when he is summoned, which is a bit disconcerting, but you get used to it
  • There's little fanfare--all present know the stakes and purpose involved. However, Astlen does see fit to present the loan of an artifact of Germain, the original leader of the Geese
    • It is the (Improved) Coldheart Bow--while it was originally a shortbow, it has been recrafted by unknown agents into a composite longbow with the adaptive property
    • Astlen takes back the silver horn, knowing that Yoa can cast the spell trivially. No questions are asked; the party assumes the tool is better deployed elsewhere.
  • Yoa humbly accepts the gift, and has the last survivor of her own squad, is in a particular position to know its significance.
    • [ed: She will be the Col. Potter of this M*A*S*H unit after Col. Blake's chopper went down ... or something]
    • Yoa has others who have been inspired to follow her lead, yet to be revealed
• With little desire to lose more time, the party immediately sets off [ed: except possibly after some amount of time for ??? reason], to try to finally assault the Dark Cathedral.

Awards

• 25 xp to Russ: The Momma Guess
• 800 xp to Russ, Gokar and Edi: Corpsefeaster Otyughs
• 1075 xp to Russ, Gokar and Edi: Plaguebearer Otyugh
• 1750 xp to Russ, Gokar and Edi: The Wymoor Otyugh Queen
• Achievement: These Go To -11 to Mattie
• Party Bonus Trait: Swamp-Whisperers: The Mattiverse avoids all non-ambush encounters while in Wydmoor Swamp