ep 47 8/5/4713 The Black Rider

Destroy Rot Grub Swarms, defeat wyverns, steal Sihedron Shard, flee back, defeating Black Rider on the way.

2nd half XP
Evade Caulborn XP 2900
Evade Manananggal & 2 Hungry Fogs XP 2750
Defeat the Dark Rider CR 14 XP 11500
Total: 17150/5= 3430

Take the Sihedron Shard +1200 each

Total: 4630

Journal [16-April]
We landed in the Black Forest. Sepheria quickly shouted for us all to step away from the Menhir as we had been warned about the worms. Her warning came just in time as swarms of evil rot worms wriggled up from around the Menhir.
From a distance, Sepheria cast fireball and the flames washed over about three-quarters of each swarm but also lightly burned me, Claw, and Jarrick. The worms crawled onto Jarrick but his armour offered him protection. They also crawled onto Claw and two burrowed under his unarmored skin. They tried to climb onto me, but I shook them off quickly. I informed the others that Rot Worms are fatal if they get into the heart, so Claw was in danger if they got burrowed too deeply under his skin.
Claw used an arrow to gouge one out from under his skin but couldn't dig out the other. He headed over to Sepheria for help. Jarrick ran around the Menhir and away from the worms while I climbed on top of Clank, who the worms did not seem interested in as he was metal. I quickly cast Flaming Sphere and send it rolling around the menhir, burning the worms. Clank carried me towards Jarrick while Sepheria cast Scorching Ray at Claw's arm, aiming for the remaining worm. She was able to kill it and directed her magic towards a swarm, destroying it.
All the remaining worms started towards Clank, swarming up his legs towards me. Claw helped scrape the worms off Clank, getting most off, and Jarrick also helped with his shield, destroying one of the swarms and getting them all off Clank and away from me. I moved the flaming sphere over the swarms and cast produce flame, destroying another swarm while Clank stamped on the remaining worms around us, destroying the last of them.
After checking ourselves over for any remaining worms, Neril, who had followed our trail through the library's cavern to the Menhir, appeared beside us. He pointed out several wyverns flying around. We all hid under a nearby tree, watching the wyverns catch and eat something before they retreated to a tower that was part of the nearby keep. There was a large dome about 70' up from the ground. After some discussion, we decide to go after the wyverns.
As we approached the keep, the double doors swung open silently as we approached. Inside, we could see alcoves containing suits of armour and stairs going up the far end with doors on the North and South sides of the large room. There were two sets of hoof prints - a large war horse's and a smaller riding horse's - both coming and going. We consider the room carefully, then decide to go around and climb the outside.
As we stepped around the corner, a bunch of wyverns peer over and down at us and roar angrily.
Claw threw his javelin at them but missed then started climbing the tower's wall to get to the nest while Sepheria stepped back and threw a fireball at them.
One of the wyverns tried to dive at Sepheria but missed. Another went after Claw, who was climbing and when he let go from the wall, it snatched him from the air in it's talons.
​I took air elemental form and tried to whirlwind two of the wyverns but it wasn't effective at all. The large blue Alpha Wyvern went after Jarrick. Clank headed towards Sepheria to try to defend her while Neril started running up the wall towards the wyverns, attacking the one carrying Claw, stunning it and driving it into the ground, sending Claw tumbling from its grip.
Jarrick shot two ice arrows at the Alpha while Claw ran over and killed the stunned wyvern. Sepheria moved so she was protected by the castle's walls and pulled out her wand of magic missile and fired it overclocked at the Alpha.
The remaining wyverns attacked me and Claw. I smacked it in response and retreated to the group. The Alpha attacked Claw and Clank moved over to join us, readying an attack in case anything came within range. Meanwhile, Neril climbed the walls again and repeated his previous jump attack on a wyvern. Claw readied his glave while Sepheria threw scorching ray at the wyvern Neril was on top of, killing it, then she turned her attention to the Alpha. The smallest wyvern ran and we ignored it. I attacked the Alpha and when it turned to run, was able to kill it.
While we fetched our weapons and checked our injuries, Sepheria used her arcane recovery. Neril took a few minutes to help me extract wyvern poison from the fallen wyverns. We got 10 doses which we stored in the alchemy kit. [DC 15 CON save, 24 damage, 1/2 on save. 1 dose per hit, such as arrow or sword. Can put multiple doses on sword but could be spent on first enemy]
[ 3400 xp each, 1700 clank]
We climbed up the outside of the tower to check out the wyverns' nest and found some interesting bits, including a magic horse shoe.
From there, we flew or climbed to the top of the highest dome in the Black Keep. Sickly yellow-ish green light emitted from the preternaturally smooth window, through which we could see that the light originated from a high column/pillar that seemed to be part organic and part mechanical. At the top was the Shard, around the base were three desecrated angelic figures with metal sprouting out from their eyes and twisting up the pillar. We identified them as Astral Devas and they appeared to be drained of power, which had likely been filtered through the shard into the column.
Sepheria tried Mage Hand to draw the Shard to her but nothing happened. Claw tried to break the window but he simply bounced off what we determined was a Wall of Force. Sepheria Disintegrated the Wall and snatched up the Shard with her Mage Hand.
After a moment, the Devas screamed and started to disintegrate. The Forest shook like an earthquake suddenly happened. The air quality dropped significantly and the sky darkened. From deep within the Keep, a neigh from a horse screamed out. Cold, necromantic energy washed over us and both Jarrick and Sepheria were afflicted by a Curse of Living Death. Their skin paled and started to turn gangrenous.
With nary a word, we all turned and ran towards the Menhir, which was not far away. As we flew past the Keep's doors, the doors burst open and a headless horseman burst out. We could see a flash of light from the Menhir, as if it was activated although we were unsure if anyone had come in or the Caulborn had simply opened the way out. Our hopes to fly above the horseman to the Menhir were dashed when the horse took to the air.
Jarrick readied his weapon as the horseman approached but instead the Black Rider drew a severed head from his belt and threw it at Jarrick. it exploded with negative energy, doing major damage to the group. Sepheria lost concentration on her Fly Spell which was carrying Claw and he fell to the ground. Claw picked himself up and attacked the Rider, as the horse was still within reach of the ground.
Seeing how much damage the horseman can do with one of his bizarre head-weapons, I darted under the horse and up the side of the Rider, stealing one head away but not able to get both.The horse kicked me and the Rider landed a blow as I scrambled into the dubious safety of the main hall, forgetting that we chose not to go that way in the first place. A door at the end of the hall started to open.
Meanwhile, Neril attacked the horseman and stole away the other head then started to run for the Menhir. Sepheria dismounted from the broom and attacked the horse with the animated objects. The Rider was forced to land and he struck at Claw, as did the Horse. Claw barely managed to stay upright. Jarrick ducked in and Laid Hands on Claw then cast Shield of Faith upon himself. As we decided to regroup by the Menhir, Claw disengaged and ran.
In the main hall, two suits of armour started to leak a living gas, which as an air-elemental, I was immune to the poison. A manananggel (a creature with the head a bat, the disemboweled torso of a woman and the ability to fly launched itself at me and hit me hard enough to force me back into human form. The gas creatures moved towards me and acted like a poison. Unable to retake another animal form, I called on the Cuatal, and used our planar ally to cover my retreat.
Neril made it to the menhir and dodged past the ill prepared Caulborn who had stepped through and were standing near the rock. Sepheria left the animated objects running as she, also made it to the Menhir and passed through with the Shard, darting over the Caulborn on the broom. Jarrick quickly followed them through, leaving me as I told him to protect Sepheria and the Shard as the Horseman had followed her through. His horse was unable to move through the Menhir and was left behind. Sepheria's objects dropped from the air as she departed the plane, so the horse stood placidly by the stone. Jarrick struck the horseman and landed a very powerful blow as Ayomeday's blessing coursed through him in his fight against the evil creature.
Claw also moved and shoved his way through the Caulborn to the Menhir. Clank flew over the Caulborn and went into the Menhir as I commanded him to retreat and return to the library if he could make it. The manananggel grappled me and made it impossible to move and was both stronger and faster than I was, so I desperately cast Polymorph on myself and took on a Giant Ape form. My size prevented the manananggel from keeping me from moving so I headed to the Menhir, which was starting to lose it's glow.
Two of the Caulborn had followed Sepheria back so I was able to shove through and touch the stone, leaving the manananggel behind.
One of the Caulborn cast Charm Person on Sepheria, which her Ring of Spell protection bounced back and the Caulborn was ensnared by the rebounded spell. The other tried to attack her but was unable to land a blow. Neril was told to retreat out of the small room and Sepheria grabbed Claw and teleported them both up to the library where they started to ready to defend themselves against the coming Horseman. Following my orders, Clank continued up to the exit, managing to fly over the Toad Demons, only taking some damage.
Jarrick stood alone against the horseman, holding his ground and refusing to the let the Horseman loose on this plane. He fought most valiantly, striking with his weapon as much as his faith, nearly taking down the evil creature. As I came through the Menhir, Jarrick was bloodied but refused to run, so I engaged the horseman with him. Before I could react, the Horseman landed a fatal blow on Jarrick and struck his head from his shoulders in a terrible blow.
Enraged with sadness, I lashed out at the horseman. Neril, having heard my shouts, returned and between us, we beat the horseman down with Neril landing the final blow in vengeance for our fallen companion. We stripped the horseman of gear and collected Jarrick's head and body and started the journey back to our companions. Although Jarrick had instructed us not to form him a new body and call his soul, there was the possibility that there was a strong enough cleric to revive him into his current form if he was willing, as long as we hurried.
[4630 xp each for 2nd half; 1158 for Clank]
Horseman's gear - +2 Full Plate, +2 hand-ax, Spine Flail.
Things to do:
- Fix Sepheria's Curse
- See if Jarrick wants to return
- Quillax will want to make a bunch of potions (I have the ability for 1/day/25gpI think) + figure out how to make one of those metal rods to use my new planar shift spell.