Bandaluthia Session 27

Bandaluthia: Session 27

The Animals were surrounded. It seemed that there were gnolls behind them and to each side, but several hundred yards away. They appeared to be herding the Animals toward the unseen rocky outcrop that Roth was guiding them too. Roth seemed disappointed that he had let himself become entrapped. He said he would sort it, and without a further comment his huge warhorse galloped away. Within minutes, the three teams of five gnolls were dead, all slain without the elf getting within fifty yards of them. The trap had been stooped.

The Animals and Roth cautiously went to the top of the next hillock, and looked down at the rocky outcrop. From the quarter of a mile away, the rocky outcrop looked more like something that was once, many centuries ago, a wizards tower which had exploded. A definite circle of stone stood, but it had been shattered by a force unknown. To the east of the broken tower were more lumps of stone jutting through the now calf length grasses that covered the plains. It looked like the wizards tower was part of a small village which was now lost to time. At the broken tower were another band of gnolls. There were ten or so outside all resting. In the centre of the tower there was a bugbear ordering half a dozen more gnolls about. The Animals could also see two or three lookout sentries posted around. A plan was made, and as dusk was but an hour away, Elodee transformed into a gnoll herself and with the aid of some of the armour from the corpses Roth made, Elodee looked and smelled the part. Elodee approached the tower; Shaniqua was invisible to her side. Elodee started to shout in gnoll to the others that she had been attacked. Roth and Coolio came around from the North; the others held their position to see if they were fooled by the half doppelgangers disguise skills. They were, but Elodee had the attention of the other gnolls for about a minute, as Roth triggered the attack. The elf and halfling, atop the elf’s warhorse, sprang to the tower wall. It was the warhorse who struck first. His hooves flashed, and the first gnoll fell. Then Coolio and Roth unleashed a furious volley from their bows. Ratsel and Jacob then ran towards the tower to aid the attack.

Gnolls crumpled like cheap suits, the bugbear offered little more resistance, but the halfling and elf had too much in their bows for the resistance to last. At the sounds of battle, two more bugbears and several more gnolls came out, seemingly from nowhere. Elodee cast her enchantress spells, which made several sleep, others to have their minds addled and one to become her friend. This new friend of a gnoll lasted just seconds, as Shaniqua then skewered it post haste. Jacob launched into battle and took down many as his swords seemed to flash and dance before him. Ratsel assessed the situation and then started blasting. Pre armoured up with mystic protection spells, he let loose his barrage of magic missiles, fireballs, lightning bolts and cones of cold. Within just about a minute or so, the gnolls and bugbears lay dead. A carnage of body parts and corpses littered the tower floor. Then something more sinister emerged from one of two freshly dug tunnels. Unseen from their previous vantage point at the crest of the hillock, two tunnels went down at the very base of the blasted tower walls.

The new figure came out shrouded with a hood. Shaniqua, invisible again, moved behind it. Ratsel wasted no time and let this newcomer feel the wrath of his kaleidoscope. As the missiles hit home, the figure revealed her face. A medusa. Ratsel was not quick enough to avert his eyes, and became stone. Shaniqua plunged her sword deep into the medusas back causing the medusa to spin with angered fury. She gripped the young elf girl by the face and forced the petrifying gaze upon her. Shaniqua’s vocal chords turned to stone before the scream could escape her body. Whether it was Coolio’s or Roth’s arrow that dealt the killing blow, we shall not know, but the medusa fell dead. The damage was done. Both Ratsel and Shaniqua were stone.

A few hours later, saw the Animals still in shock. There was talk of going back to Bandaluthia, but how to carry two stone statues back almost a thousand miles? A light flashed up in the sky. Something then fell to the ground at break neck speed, but it slowed at the last few seconds to alight upon the ground as if it had stepped just a few inches. It was a mage called Rubins Lukah who the party had met in Nikolai’s caravan. Rubins was as surprised to see the party, just as much as they were to see him. After some explanations of the situation, Rubins offered two ‘Stone to Flesh’ scrolls. He charged 6,000gp each. With no one to read them, as their own mage was stone, Rubins offered his services again. This time 3,000gp each to read the scrolls and he freed the two Animals from their geological plight.

The party and Rubins went down to explore the holes. One was a dead end, but the other lead into a chamber which may have been a library to the wizard who frequented the tower centuries ago. Unfortunately, the library was only half clear. It must have been full of soil and dirt to which the gnolls were clearing. The room was also not empty. A wolf, at least the ethereal image of a wolf sat in the corner. As the party went in, it demanded to see Tesla. The group found out this was the medusa they had killed. The wolf then revealed its ugly side. The mouth grew to something more like a maw, as teeth and fangs seemed to protrude from all angles. The image was momentary, and the wolf looked normal again. (Aside from its ghostly demeanour) The wolf answered a few questions; it said it was working for Amon, it was from the Infernal depths of Hell and that it was looking for something. The wolf asked for the amulet. When the party denied all knowledge of the amulet, the wolf grew agitated once more. A hasty retreat was beat, and then the group spoke quickly about their options.

Rubins addressed Ratsel in the tongue used by Infernal creatures. The two spoke long and Rubins became quite excited. It transpires that there are a group of Amulets who belong to the Rulers of the Nine Hells. The Amulet legends say they have been lost for millennia, but it would seem there may be interest for them once more. Rubins explained that this was the first sign that anyone alive knew that the Amulets are not just a myth, but a cold, hard fact and something that would be incalculably valuable.

The session ends here. Will The Animals find an Amulet that has the power to control a layer of Hell? Unlikely.