Agnes just shrugs. "I don't care what you do with them in there, I am not really aligned with them. It's more of a mutual agreement. They nor you can harm me, and once whatever it is you plan to do with them, I'll just return and for those who were not of the undead variety, I'll get my sustenance from them. I am not an ally of Count Glauer, I would love nothing more to see him and his like gone." She cackles for a short bit, then continues.
"Is the risk worth the reward perhaps? If you are here to confront the Count for any of his dastardly deeds or being the hero types and come into the land of darkness to bring justice, know that he has gathered a rather healthy pile of loot as you do gooders like to say, is it not? Know that he won't part with it easily. If you come seeking justice, then you may be in for a fight for he will not go down easily or quietly."
She looks at you all again with a sly look. "Or is it for a different reason entirely? You wouldn't be so foolish to think you can press into the land of the dead, do you? No one enters that realm now, except for those blood thirsty odd-looking Elves and dark dwarves. Then you're in for a time of it."
She cackles and laughs one more time then gives you all a steady look, with a slight grin. "In either case, I will return to harvest what is mine, whether it is their souls, or maybe even yours." With one last cackle she fades away and you stand alone before the ruins.
With one last cackle she fades away and you stand alone before the ruins.
[[OOC: Oops! Too slow / deferential to Khessa for Vrox to talk to Old Agnes!]]
Vrox idly wonders whether they'll face the Night Hag again, but unless the party wants to pursue Old Agnes across the planes, they would do better to preserve their resources for whatever lies in the keep. As Old Agnes fades away just as her words drift away in the breeze, Vrox says, "I've seen creatures like Old Agnes in the Feywild. Wicked night hags! More foul even than other hags, they were banished from the Feywild long ago. Since their exile, they lair in Hades or the other Lower Planes, but they still align themselves with the Unseelie Court and cause trouble. They visit this realm -- and others -- to feed." He looks at the dead body and the ear where Old Agnes emerged with disgust. Then he looks at Khessa and smiles, "You did well, Khessa! You avoided saying anything that would constitute a 'bargain' with the hag. Perhaps you're learning the ways of the fey after all!"
Vrox tries to keep his spirits up while resigning himself to the task in front of them. He stares up at the glowing towers of the keep and continues, "And even an evil night hag has some of the fey left in her: still tricksy and fond of riddling speech." He mimics Old Agnes's voice and accent when he repeats her words: "There is someone inside whom we may still be able to save, if we make haste: 'some brave fool just...a warrior seeking to glorify himself.' The Druhkari and Golgari -- 'light skinned looking Elves, or dark-skinned dwarves' -- are allies of those who hold this keep, so we may confront them within the walls. The captain of the keep is not Khaine: it is Count Glauer, 'who is commanded to hold this ground.' The Count is known for his 'dastardly deeds,' and they 'do their rituals' to anyone they capture. She said that if we were victorious, she would feed on 'those who were not of the undead variety,' so we know that more of those accursed creatures dwell inside. I don't know whether this Count Glauer is a necromancer whose rituals created an undead army or whether Count Glauer is undead himself."
Turning to Lord Akkron, their expert on all necromantic things, Vrox asks, "I don't suppose you have ever heard of Count Glauer? Another lich, perhaphs? Or maybe some sort of accursed knight?"
Finally, Vrox asks, "And what did Old Agnes mean by pressing 'into the land of the dead'?" If Flute is still with the party, he asks her, "Do you know what Old Agnes meant by the land of the dead? Some realm of the chaos gods? Or has Uhubreen itself earned that dread title?"
Unless they want to try to sneak through the keep, the next step is probably breaking down a door and fighting through the first guards. Vrox plans to hang back with his bow while Khessa, Clarac, and Tyekanik organize the offense.
[[OOC: In addition to the PCs, we still have Sparhawk, Brother Maynard, Sir Robert, and Lord Ulthran with us, right?]]
"Oh, thank you Vrox!" Khessa forces a smile - though in fact she harbors considerable anger towards those who are perpetrating such evil acts in there... and she can't wait to stop them "The approval of a Fey as eminent as you is a true compliment".
"Perhaps the reference to the 'land of the dead' means that those in charge are the undead..." the blonde arcane warrior hypothesizes "while Druhkari and Golgari are mere servants - if not expendable pawns. Probably Count Glauer himself is an undead. Maybe Master Akkron will be able to reason with him and make him change sides..." her blue eyes run to the benevolent lich mentor "Or maybe not. In this case, we will be forced to give him eternal peace".
The tall adventuress however prepares to break in in her turn - and as soon as everyone is ready, she opens the door... or, failing that, tries to break it down.
"Khessa and I are from a land far away from here," Akkron admits. "I'm afraid that I do not know Count Glaur... though it sounds very likely that he may be among the undead based on what we have already heard of the Golgari and from the hag... but that is for another time. For now, we MUST rescue the prisoners before anything else happens to them."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Yoht is looking at the keep, scratching his beard before speaking.
"It was old tales, designed to scare children to behave, that old Count Glauer will get you if you don't behave. But now, I understand why this area is called the land of the dead, more so from what happened a thousand years ago. There are tales of undead here, of devils pacts." He looks up at the red glow coming from the towers. He lets out a sigh, and begins to explain the tale of the Count.
"Count Rhodar von Glauerfell to a vampiric curse in his early twenties, Count Rhodar—the last Lord of Glauer—ruled his tiny, heavily forested mountainous county for three hundred years. There were worse overlords, the people said. After all, Rhodar took his pact with the people and the land seriously. He aggressively defended the villages in his demesne against constant incursions from rival counts and barons. He believed his power waxed and waned with the prosperity of the people and the vitality of the land.
Each new moon, when the Red Tax came due, the count would visit a young candidate, then emerge with renewed vitality. Rhodar was gifted Shadowkeep after sacrificing the fiery heart of the dragon Wyraxain to an archdevil. They say the very stone is infused with infernal energies. It was thought a campaign came and stake the vampire lord, yet no one truly knows and so the stories and legends go on about the bloodthirsty count.
If what Agnes said is true, he may have thrown his lot in with the Drukhari and Golgalari, perhaps he made a pact with this dark dua you speak of. Maybe he is trying to break away from the devil's contract or whatever it was that doomed him to remain here for three hundred years."
Khessa comments: "Good to know... The Nefarious Duo rarely intend to keep their promises. Their proposals, in the end, never benefit anyone but themselves. Perhaps if we can actually help Count Rhodar von Glauer, we can deprive the forces of chaos of yet another powerful ally."
The tall adventuress however prepares to break in in her turn - and as soon as everyone is ready, she opens the door... or, failing that, tries to break it down.
[[OOC: You're not going to let Clarac use the battering ram that she specifically brought along for busting down doors?!]]
As you open the door, for it is not locked, you can feel the infernal energy of the keep and the stones. Hanging from a pillar in the center of the hall, an oil painting depicts a handsome knight atop Drachen’s Peak. He carves the heart from a red-scaled dragon, while a devilish silhouette overlooks the scene. There are three doors in this triangular shape room. It has seen better days; it is not as well maintained as expected for a keep.
As you enter the room, a voice does enter your minds. "Well, who do we have here? Those coming to pay their red taxes perhaps, or someone who is foolish to think they can best me in my home. Know this, you're not the first to try, even that emperor fool thought he could vanquish me, but I have proven him wrong."
The voice inside your head pauses for a moment. "Ah, now I see, she told me of you. Perhaps now I will finally have a decent match. These other so-called heroes didn't even make me work up a sweat. So come intrepid champions, come and find me, then face me!"
"You do realize that the Chaos Gods aren't exactly selfless benefactors, right?" Khessa sighs in response. "You're not stupid enough to think they'll actually help you, I hope... The undead usually have a long time to think and cultivate wisdom. They recruited you for this war - which they're losing - to use you as a expendable pawn now... or at most a sacrificial victim later. Maybe we could help you instead."
"But if being a pawn in the hands of those who only want to use you makes you proud... and it's only a fight all that you want from us..." the blonde arcane warrior concludes "why waste time? Give us direction. We'll get to you right away - so we can get straight to the 'fun', shall we?"
You hear the voice chuckle in his head. "They did try to offer me immortality, but I already have that. I don't serve them; this is my land long before they tried to steal it from me. I do look forward to our meeting, but what is life without its fun, eh? A little cat and mouse, besides, my pets would be very disappointed if they didn't get to play as well."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tyekanik enters after Khessa and moves into the room to be a blockade against anything that may attack the group. Vrox has not switched to his bow yet, so he's still holding his Elven vorpal blade and shield. He files into the room near the back of the group, and he's alarmed at the voice (presumably of Count Glauer) in his head. Normally, Vrox's fey origins would help protect him against magic, and he whispers to himself, "What new devilry is this?"
“Well…” Khessa shrugs “after you see the damage to the house’s structure and furnishings, you will no longer have the right to complain: we’ve given you a choice.”
You sense you are being watched from above. When you look up, four figures appear to be clinging to the ceiling, drop down amongst you. You recognize them as Druhkari, but now they appear to be Vampire Spawns.
So, using this, tell me where you want your icon and then we'll commence the combat.
Agnes just shrugs. "I don't care what you do with them in there, I am not really aligned with them. It's more of a mutual agreement. They nor you can harm me, and once whatever it is you plan to do with them, I'll just return and for those who were not of the undead variety, I'll get my sustenance from them. I am not an ally of Count Glauer, I would love nothing more to see him and his like gone." She cackles for a short bit, then continues.
"Is the risk worth the reward perhaps? If you are here to confront the Count for any of his dastardly deeds or being the hero types and come into the land of darkness to bring justice, know that he has gathered a rather healthy pile of loot as you do gooders like to say, is it not? Know that he won't part with it easily. If you come seeking justice, then you may be in for a fight for he will not go down easily or quietly."
She looks at you all again with a sly look. "Or is it for a different reason entirely? You wouldn't be so foolish to think you can press into the land of the dead, do you? No one enters that realm now, except for those blood thirsty odd-looking Elves and dark dwarves. Then you're in for a time of it."
She cackles and laughs one more time then gives you all a steady look, with a slight grin. "In either case, I will return to harvest what is mine, whether it is their souls, or maybe even yours." With one last cackle she fades away and you stand alone before the ruins.
[[OOC: Oops! Too slow / deferential to Khessa for Vrox to talk to Old Agnes!]]
Vrox idly wonders whether they'll face the Night Hag again, but unless the party wants to pursue Old Agnes across the planes, they would do better to preserve their resources for whatever lies in the keep. As Old Agnes fades away just as her words drift away in the breeze, Vrox says, "I've seen creatures like Old Agnes in the Feywild. Wicked night hags! More foul even than other hags, they were banished from the Feywild long ago. Since their exile, they lair in Hades or the other Lower Planes, but they still align themselves with the Unseelie Court and cause trouble. They visit this realm -- and others -- to feed." He looks at the dead body and the ear where Old Agnes emerged with disgust. Then he looks at Khessa and smiles, "You did well, Khessa! You avoided saying anything that would constitute a 'bargain' with the hag. Perhaps you're learning the ways of the fey after all!"
Vrox tries to keep his spirits up while resigning himself to the task in front of them. He stares up at the glowing towers of the keep and continues, "And even an evil night hag has some of the fey left in her: still tricksy and fond of riddling speech." He mimics Old Agnes's voice and accent when he repeats her words: "There is someone inside whom we may still be able to save, if we make haste: 'some brave fool just...a warrior seeking to glorify himself.' The Druhkari and Golgari -- 'light skinned looking Elves, or dark-skinned dwarves' -- are allies of those who hold this keep, so we may confront them within the walls. The captain of the keep is not Khaine: it is Count Glauer, 'who is commanded to hold this ground.' The Count is known for his 'dastardly deeds,' and they 'do their rituals' to anyone they capture. She said that if we were victorious, she would feed on 'those who were not of the undead variety,' so we know that more of those accursed creatures dwell inside. I don't know whether this Count Glauer is a necromancer whose rituals created an undead army or whether Count Glauer is undead himself."
Turning to Lord Akkron, their expert on all necromantic things, Vrox asks, "I don't suppose you have ever heard of Count Glauer? Another lich, perhaphs? Or maybe some sort of accursed knight?"
Finally, Vrox asks, "And what did Old Agnes mean by pressing 'into the land of the dead'?" If Flute is still with the party, he asks her, "Do you know what Old Agnes meant by the land of the dead? Some realm of the chaos gods? Or has Uhubreen itself earned that dread title?"
Unless they want to try to sneak through the keep, the next step is probably breaking down a door and fighting through the first guards. Vrox plans to hang back with his bow while Khessa, Clarac, and Tyekanik organize the offense.
[[OOC: In addition to the PCs, we still have Sparhawk, Brother Maynard, Sir Robert, and Lord Ulthran with us, right?]]
"Oh, thank you Vrox!" Khessa forces a smile - though in fact she harbors considerable anger towards those who are perpetrating such evil acts in there... and she can't wait to stop them "The approval of a Fey as eminent as you is a true compliment".
"Perhaps the reference to the 'land of the dead' means that those in charge are the undead..." the blonde arcane warrior hypothesizes "while Druhkari and Golgari are mere servants - if not expendable pawns. Probably Count Glauer himself is an undead. Maybe Master Akkron will be able to reason with him and make him change sides..." her blue eyes run to the benevolent lich mentor "Or maybe not. In this case, we will be forced to give him eternal peace".
The tall adventuress however prepares to break in in her turn - and as soon as everyone is ready, she opens the door... or, failing that, tries to break it down.
Akkron shakes his head.
"Khessa and I are from a land far away from here," Akkron admits. "I'm afraid that I do not know Count Glaur... though it sounds very likely that he may be among the undead based on what we have already heard of the Golgari and from the hag... but that is for another time. For now, we MUST rescue the prisoners before anything else happens to them."
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Yoht is looking at the keep, scratching his beard before speaking.
"It was old tales, designed to scare children to behave, that old Count Glauer will get you if you don't behave. But now, I understand why this area is called the land of the dead, more so from what happened a thousand years ago. There are tales of undead here, of devils pacts." He looks up at the red glow coming from the towers. He lets out a sigh, and begins to explain the tale of the Count.
"Count Rhodar von Glauer fell to a vampiric curse in his early twenties, Count Rhodar—the last Lord of Glauer—ruled his tiny, heavily forested mountainous county for three hundred years. There were worse overlords, the people said. After all, Rhodar took his pact with the people and the land seriously. He aggressively defended the villages in his demesne against constant incursions from rival counts and barons. He believed his power waxed and waned with the prosperity of the people and the vitality of the land.
Each new moon, when the Red Tax came due, the count would visit a young candidate, then emerge with renewed vitality. Rhodar was gifted Shadowkeep after sacrificing the fiery heart of the dragon Wyraxain to an archdevil. They say the very stone is infused with infernal energies. It was thought a campaign came and stake the vampire lord, yet no one truly knows and so the stories and legends go on about the bloodthirsty count.
If what Agnes said is true, he may have thrown his lot in with the Drukhari and Golgalari, perhaps he made a pact with this dark dua you speak of. Maybe he is trying to break away from the devil's contract or whatever it was that doomed him to remain here for three hundred years."
Khessa comments: "Good to know... The Nefarious Duo rarely intend to keep their promises. Their proposals, in the end, never benefit anyone but themselves. Perhaps if we can actually help Count Rhodar von Glauer, we can deprive the forces of chaos of yet another powerful ally."
[[OOC: You're not going to let Clarac use the battering ram that she specifically brought along for busting down doors?!]]
As you open the door, for it is not locked, you can feel the infernal energy of the keep and the stones. Hanging from a pillar in the center of the hall, an oil painting depicts a handsome knight atop Drachen’s Peak. He carves the heart from a red-scaled dragon, while a devilish silhouette overlooks the scene. There are three doors in this triangular shape room. It has seen better days; it is not as well maintained as expected for a keep.
As you enter the room, a voice does enter your minds. "Well, who do we have here? Those coming to pay their red taxes perhaps, or someone who is foolish to think they can best me in my home. Know this, you're not the first to try, even that emperor fool thought he could vanquish me, but I have proven him wrong."
The voice inside your head pauses for a moment. "Ah, now I see, she told me of you. Perhaps now I will finally have a decent match. These other so-called heroes didn't even make me work up a sweat. So come intrepid champions, come and find me, then face me!"
"You do realize that the Chaos Gods aren't exactly selfless benefactors, right?" Khessa sighs in response. "You're not stupid enough to think they'll actually help you, I hope... The undead usually have a long time to think and cultivate wisdom. They recruited you for this war - which they're losing - to use you as a expendable pawn now... or at most a sacrificial victim later. Maybe we could help you instead."
"But if being a pawn in the hands of those who only want to use you makes you proud... and it's only a fight all that you want from us..." the blonde arcane warrior concludes "why waste time? Give us direction. We'll get to you right away - so we can get straight to the 'fun', shall we?"
You hear the voice chuckle in his head. "They did try to offer me immortality, but I already have that. I don't serve them; this is my land long before they tried to steal it from me. I do look forward to our meeting, but what is life without its fun, eh? A little cat and mouse, besides, my pets would be very disappointed if they didn't get to play as well."
Roll initiative please
Khessa's Initiative: 4
Tyekanik enters after Khessa and moves into the room to be a blockade against anything that may attack the group. Vrox has not switched to his bow yet, so he's still holding his Elven vorpal blade and shield. He files into the room near the back of the group, and he's alarmed at the voice (presumably of Count Glauer) in his head. Normally, Vrox's fey origins would help protect him against magic, and he whispers to himself, "What new devilry is this?"
Vrox - Initiative: 25, advantage from Sentinel Shield
Tyekanik - Initiative: 22, advantage from barbarian's Feral Instinct
“Well…” Khessa shrugs “after you see the damage to the house’s structure and furnishings, you will no longer have the right to complain: we’ve given you a choice.”
You sense you are being watched from above. When you look up, four figures appear to be clinging to the ceiling, drop down amongst you. You recognize them as Druhkari, but now they appear to be Vampire Spawns.
So, using this, tell me where you want your icon and then we'll commence the combat.
Sorry, Voht is in there too
[[OOC: Tyek's position is fine. Move Vrox about 10 ft. to the right, just north of Robert.]]
Clarac doesn’t say anything back to the mysterious voice. She only draws her sword and prepares herself for the fight to come.
When she sees the vampire spawns, she understands the fight is already there.
Clarac initiative: 19
Clarac’s position is exactly where she wants to be. She would have left Wetherbee outside to rest.
Akkron sighs... he really needs to look into more spells that deal radiant damage (I think it's safe to say Lord Akkron knows how vampires work).
Akkron initiative: 6
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