After deflecting an attack with his shield, Zindark counterattacks, severing the monstrosity's arm from its body. The dragonborn then leaps, with his blade high over his head, and lands with a splash directly in front of his foe. When the water settles, all can see Rahzzur protruding from the bizarre misshapen mass that was once Lorghoth the Destroyer.
Ankita watches as their foe falls to Zindarik's sword, relieved and shocked that they took down such a monstrosity. She tells the 13 faceless ones (I can't remember if they are still there or not, but even if not) "There! There is your damn sacrifice!"
Then she heads down to where her friends are to see if they need any help.
All - Lorghoth collapses into the water and its form begins to dissipate. Wisps of what appears to be thick black smoke begin to curl from the creature's body and coalesce in the air above it. More and more of the black miasma pours from the body as it disintegrates. The thirteen faceless watchers stop chanting and one by one they wink out of existence. Lorghoth's form is completely dissolved now and the roiling mass of blackness suddenly spears upward into the base of the house. The house and the basement below shudder and shake violently as the evil that tainted it is finally released. Above the house, in the fog, the blackness coalesces once more, taking the shape of an impossibly huge bat-like creature. The fog suddenly begins to burn away and shafts of dim twilight shine down upon the blackness. It screeches as its form is burned away to nothingness.
Zindarik watches with mild awe as the foulness leaves the basement and house. He turns toward Ankita, Baldwin, and Hofaen as he raises his sword in victory. "May the evil be banished forever!"he calls out.
“Wow, we did it. Anyone want some healing? While I’m still in this starry form, I can heal two instead of one.” Once that is complete, she mentions going to the last room that they never checked out. Then we should put Rose and Thorn in their respective crypts.
All - The other area turns out to be a prison of some sort. Victims were likely held here before being sacrificed upon the bloody altar in the other room.
When you head back upstairs, you find that the house has changed. The marble floors are scuffed and cracked, furniture is broken and moldy. The windows are broken out and boarded over, the boards themselves are busted in places. The walls are peeling, cracking, and flaking and rodents scurry along the dusty halls. Thick cobwebs hang over everything and once beautiful light fixtures are dull and rusted. You find the spirits of Rose and Thorn floating above their remains in their room, "Did you defeat the monster? Did you save our parents?" Rose asks, holding her doll close to her chest.
All - The spirits of Rose and Thorn follow you all as you carry them in a funeral procession down the hidden stairs. The children remark on how dirty the stairwell is and Thorn says, "I think the monster scared Raela and she ran away. Mommy would yell at her again if she saw how messy it is in here." The children stare wide eyed at the basement area as you all make your way to the crypts. Rose says, "This was here the whole time? Why am I still sharing a room with Thorn?" Ankita and Zindarik lay Rose and Thorn's remains to rest in their crypts alongside their respective dolls. The spirits begin to fade and suddenly Thorn says, "Mommy! Look Rosey! It's mommy!" Rose looks off into the unknowable distance and says, "And daddy too! They look happy!" Before she fades, Rose turns back to you all and says, "Thank you for saving our family." She smiles and you all feel the faintest touch of a little hand grasping yours, like a feather on a crystal glass. Rose and Thorn fade away, smiling at one another as they hold hands.
A short while later you step outside to find that the fog has mostly disappeared. The strange land you've found yourselves in is dull and muted as if viewed through a dirty window. The sky is a blanket of heavy gray clouds that block most of the sunlight. Those clouds then part, allowing a dim shaft of twilight to shine down upon a nearby rose bush. You watch as two small rose buds, one slightly larger than the other, slowly and gently begin to bloom in that bit of radiance. You all stand and watch the rose blossoms for a few moments, each of you contemplating the tragedy you all witnessed contrasted with the beauty before you. Slowly the clouds shift once more and the light fades. The village you are in appears empty and quiet... And then the howling begins.
Thank you all VERY much for your great contributions to our shared story. It has been a treat to DM this adventure with you all. As I stated in the recruitment thread, I only intended to run the Death House portion of this campaign and so I am going to end our adventure here. I am open to continuing it in the future, though at the moment I've stretched myself thin between DMing four different threads. I will reach out to you all in the future if one of my other campaigns concludes and I'm ready to begin this one again. Until then, thank you all again and happy gaming!
Echo what the other guys have said. This was my first PbP and I’ve very much enjoyed it. Good luck with your other campaigns and the new baby! And thank you to the rest of the party as well - I’ve loved the creativity you’ve all brought, it’s been brilliant.
Growing weary, Zindarik relies one last time on his ability to counterattack after Lorghoth's miss...
He then lets out a snarl and drives Rahzzur as hard as he can into the monster's body...
Zindarik - Your ferocious assault is more than enough to put an end to the foul beast. How do you do it?
Lorghoth the Decayer is DEAD. Combat has ended.
After deflecting an attack with his shield, Zindark counterattacks, severing the monstrosity's arm from its body. The dragonborn then leaps, with his blade high over his head, and lands with a splash directly in front of his foe. When the water settles, all can see Rahzzur protruding from the bizarre misshapen mass that was once Lorghoth the Destroyer.
Ankita watches as their foe falls to Zindarik's sword, relieved and shocked that they took down such a monstrosity. She tells the 13 faceless ones (I can't remember if they are still there or not, but even if not) "There! There is your damn sacrifice!"
Then she heads down to where her friends are to see if they need any help.
"*Brrrrtttt brrrrrrrttttt* Well done Zindarik! Take that you foul beast! *brrrrtt brrrrrtttt*"
All - Lorghoth collapses into the water and its form begins to dissipate. Wisps of what appears to be thick black smoke begin to curl from the creature's body and coalesce in the air above it. More and more of the black miasma pours from the body as it disintegrates. The thirteen faceless watchers stop chanting and one by one they wink out of existence. Lorghoth's form is completely dissolved now and the roiling mass of blackness suddenly spears upward into the base of the house. The house and the basement below shudder and shake violently as the evil that tainted it is finally released. Above the house, in the fog, the blackness coalesces once more, taking the shape of an impossibly huge bat-like creature. The fog suddenly begins to burn away and shafts of dim twilight shine down upon the blackness. It screeches as its form is burned away to nothingness.
Zindarik watches with mild awe as the foulness leaves the basement and house. He turns toward Ankita, Baldwin, and Hofaen as he raises his sword in victory. "May the evil be banished forever!" he calls out.
All - Lorghoth the Decayer is defeated and there is no sign of the chanting figures. The house is as silent as a grave. What would you like to do now?
“Wow, we did it. Anyone want some healing? While I’m still in this starry form, I can heal two instead of one.” Once that is complete, she mentions going to the last room that they never checked out. Then we should put Rose and Thorn in their respective crypts.
Zindarik nods at Ankita, "Laying the children to rest, yes. That should be done."
All - The other area turns out to be a prison of some sort. Victims were likely held here before being sacrificed upon the bloody altar in the other room.
When you head back upstairs, you find that the house has changed. The marble floors are scuffed and cracked, furniture is broken and moldy. The windows are broken out and boarded over, the boards themselves are busted in places. The walls are peeling, cracking, and flaking and rodents scurry along the dusty halls. Thick cobwebs hang over everything and once beautiful light fixtures are dull and rusted. You find the spirits of Rose and Thorn floating above their remains in their room, "Did you defeat the monster? Did you save our parents?" Rose asks, holding her doll close to her chest.
Zindarik looks with sadness upon the spirits of the children. "We did, young ones. The monster is no more, and your parents are...they're better now."
He then picks up Thorn's remains and prepares to head to the basement.
Ankita nods as Zindarik talks to the children. She bends down and picks up Rose and follows Zindarik down the stairs.
As he walks down the stairs to the basement, Zindarik muses aloud, "Never did I think that doing good in the world would include burying a child."
All - The spirits of Rose and Thorn follow you all as you carry them in a funeral procession down the hidden stairs. The children remark on how dirty the stairwell is and Thorn says, "I think the monster scared Raela and she ran away. Mommy would yell at her again if she saw how messy it is in here." The children stare wide eyed at the basement area as you all make your way to the crypts. Rose says, "This was here the whole time? Why am I still sharing a room with Thorn?" Ankita and Zindarik lay Rose and Thorn's remains to rest in their crypts alongside their respective dolls. The spirits begin to fade and suddenly Thorn says, "Mommy! Look Rosey! It's mommy!" Rose looks off into the unknowable distance and says, "And daddy too! They look happy!" Before she fades, Rose turns back to you all and says, "Thank you for saving our family." She smiles and you all feel the faintest touch of a little hand grasping yours, like a feather on a crystal glass. Rose and Thorn fade away, smiling at one another as they hold hands.
A short while later you step outside to find that the fog has mostly disappeared. The strange land you've found yourselves in is dull and muted as if viewed through a dirty window. The sky is a blanket of heavy gray clouds that block most of the sunlight. Those clouds then part, allowing a dim shaft of twilight to shine down upon a nearby rose bush. You watch as two small rose buds, one slightly larger than the other, slowly and gently begin to bloom in that bit of radiance. You all stand and watch the rose blossoms for a few moments, each of you contemplating the tragedy you all witnessed contrasted with the beauty before you. Slowly the clouds shift once more and the light fades. The village you are in appears empty and quiet... And then the howling begins.
Thank you all VERY much for your great contributions to our shared story. It has been a treat to DM this adventure with you all. As I stated in the recruitment thread, I only intended to run the Death House portion of this campaign and so I am going to end our adventure here. I am open to continuing it in the future, though at the moment I've stretched myself thin between DMing four different threads. I will reach out to you all in the future if one of my other campaigns concludes and I'm ready to begin this one again. Until then, thank you all again and happy gaming!
Thanks for such a fun adventure! I truly enjoyed it. And I had fun playing alongside the rest of the group, thanks!!
Great stuff, Dylanthalas! Thanks for your time and effort on this adventure.
Echo what the other guys have said. This was my first PbP and I’ve very much enjoyed it. Good luck with your other campaigns and the new baby! And thank you to the rest of the party as well - I’ve loved the creativity you’ve all brought, it’s been brilliant.
PC | Hofaen - Curse of Strahd by Dylanthalas
Thank you all! This was a treat